For 43 years, Support for Families of Children with Disabilities has empowered families to ensure their child receives the care they need at school, at home, and within the community. Our mission is to ensure that families of children with disabilities, learning differences, developmental concerns, and/or complex medical needs (and the providers who serve them) have the knowledge and support to make informed choices that enhance their children’s development and well-being. We are a parent-led organization committed to increasing equity and accessibility for children with disabilities, complex medical needs, or who are at risk for developmental delays. We are dedicated to creating a community where all children flourish. The majority of our staff, board, and Executive Director are parents of children with disabilities, complex medical needs and/or developmental delays. We have deep experience navigating complex systems for our children, as well as professional training, education, and experience. Staff speak English, Spanish, Cantonese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian and interpretation is available for other languages.

Support for Families is the designated Family Resource Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Care Needs in San Francisco, as well as the Centralized Access Point for the new San Francisco Department of Early Childhood’s Early Connections system. We also are proud to hold many other local, state, and federal designations, including as the We are also the Community Parent Resource Center and Parent Training Institute (US Dept. of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services). SFCD is the backbone agency for SF Kids Collaborative–the San Francisco Interagency Collaborative for CYSHN and the fiscal agent for Family Voices of California-the federal family to family health information center for CYSHN in CA.

Above all, we are dedicated to empowering parents/caregivers and creating a community where all children can thrive.

Cross-Sector Project:
With support from Safe & Sound and Crankstart funding, we were able to extend a pilot program to increase access to developmental screenings and provide coaching and support for families throughout San Francisco. We engaged with two community partners- WuYee’s Bayview Hub and Mission Neighborhood Health Clinic- to provide in-community Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ)- developmental screenings and Transdisciplinary Play-based Assessments. After each screening and assessment, we worked with families to follow up with needed referrals to Golden Gate Regional Center and SFUSD, dependent on their child’s results, and provided two follow up coaching sessions to support families in implementing activities and strategies aimed at enhancing their child skills in designated areas. At the completion of the process, each family received 5 developmentally appropriate toys for their participation in the project.

Success story from the project:
One of the families that participated in the Cross Sector Project recently immigrated from South America and was new to both the country and the language. Initially, they connected with Support for Families for an ASQ screening without fully understanding the process or its purpose. Through a referral from another agency, they were guided to our program. During the screening, we not only assessed their child’s developmental needs, but also took the time to explain the ASQ and its importance to their child’s growth.

Recognizing that the family lacked the necessary resources for play-based learning, we provided them with developmental toys and materials tailored to their child’s age. This support helped bridge the gap between their new environment and their child’s developmental activities. The family expressed gratitude for the resources and the personalized guidance, expressing that they felt more empowered to engage with their child’s learning and to adapt to their new life in the U.S.