Saint Vincent's Day Home

Saint Vincent's Day Home is a private, non-profit, non-sectarian agency, that provides a high quality children's program to families with great economic need in the heart of the West Oakland community. Since first opening its doors in 1911, the old Queen Anne Victorian we call Saint Vincent's Day Home has seen well over 36,000 children cross its threshold. Our long history of providing quality care to children and families in need has made us one of the most respected child development centers in the country. The Home has been a beacon of hope for families as they struggled through the Depression, two world wars, and natural disasters.

At Saint Vincent's we've held strong to the belief that education is absolutely critical for all children regardless of their families' socio-economical standing.

The children attend the Day Home while their parents work and/or attend accredited school or skills training programs. For many years now, the Day Home has been a source of great relief to those parents by assuring that children who participate in our program will benefit from quality child care which meets their essential health, safety and developmental needs. The majority of our parents are women who struggle at or below the poverty line. Clients include the homeless, battered women, and children who were born drug exposed, or who have special developmental, behavioral, or emotional needs.

We strive to help young people appreciate diversity by providing a learning environment that emphasizes art, literature, traditions, music, and cuisine from a rich variety of societies from around the world. Education is the route to social equality and financial success in this country. The Day Home prepares children to succeed academically and socially with a readiness and joy for learning.

A speech therapist is available for consultation and will work with children who have speech and language problems. Every child receives an annual vision and hearing examination. Every day each child receives a nutritious breakfast, lunch and an afternoon snack. Menus are planned to expose children to ethnic foods, and to provide examples of well-balanced meals.

Mission: To provide quality care, early childhood education and family services to those in greatest need, ensuring that children are nurtured and educated and their parents empowered to meet family responsibilities.