South of Market Child Care, Inc.

This week we celebrated our annual Week of the Young Child! 🎉

The Week of the Young Child is a special time dedicated to recognizing the importance of early learning, young children, their families, and educators. It highlights the value of play-based, hands-on experiences that support children’s growth and development.

Our children enjoyed a wide variety of engaging experiences throughout the week, including fun dress-up days, music activities, and a delicious Taco Tuesday 🌮. They worked together to create imaginative projects with boxes, and explored art and science.

We were also excited to welcome Tree Frog Treks for an interactive learning experience, and we wrapped up the week with a wonderful field trip to the Children’s Creativity Museum.

It was a joyful week full of creativity, collaboration, discovery, and celebrating our youngest learners! 💛

A rare hot and sunny week in San Francisco called for lots of outdoor fun ☀️💦

Our children made the most of it with water play, splashing, pouring, and staying cool together.

We also enjoyed plenty of cool-down activities, shaded-play, and refreshing breaks to keep everyone comfortable while making the most of the warm weather.

Here's to sunshine, smiles, and staying cool while having fun!

🎉 Parent Connection Series: Bingo Night 🎉

What a fun night! This month's Parent Connection Series featured Bingo Night, and it was a huge hit.

Parents came together for several exciting rounds of Bingo, laughter, and great conversations. We shared what our favorite childhood games were, cheered each other on during the games, and celebrated some lucky prize winners along the way.

Beyond the games, it was a wonderful opportunity for families to connect, mingle, and build community. Moments like these help make SOMACC such a special place for both children and their families. 💛

Thank you to everyone who joined us! We loved seeing our community come together! Stay tuned for our next Parent Connection Series event. ✨

🌙 Celebrating Lunar New Year at SOMACC! 🎉

Over the past few weeks, our students have been immersed in the joy and traditions of the Lunar New Year! They explored the holiday through:

📚 Reading books to learn about Lunar New Year traditions
🖌️ Working with Chinese characters
🎨 Creating crafts, and learning about holiday-inspired decorations and traditional props
🧧 Receiving red envelopes to celebrate prosperity
🥟 Making dumplings
🍜 Enjoying noodles, eggrolls, and oranges for good luck
🐉 Participating in dragon dances and singing traditional songs

It's been wonderful to see the children learning about cultural traditions while having so much fun engaging in hands-on activities, celebrating community, and building social and creative skills.

Wishing everyone happiness, health, and prosperity in the Year of the Fire Horse! 🔥🐎

🎉 We Did It - and Then Some

Our Annual Give for Kids Campaign was such a success that we surpassed our $20,000 fundraising goal!

Because we officially reached all of our fundraising tiers - $10,000, $15,000, and $20,000 - every classroom earned the rewards tied to each milestone. What an incredible community effort!

🍝 $10,000 Tier Reward: Pasta Party!
On February 13, we celebrated with an agencywide Pasta Party, the perfect pairing with the children's lunch of calzone.

The pasta was a HUGE hit! Plates were cleaned, smiles were wide, and the children enjoyed every bite with so much gusto. 😋

Honestly... who doesn't love pasta anyway?

Thank you to all of our families and supporters who made this possible. Your generosity directly supports our children and programs, and we are so grateful for you. 💛

A wonderful time was had by all as we unleashed our creativity at our Parents' Paint Party on February 6! 🎨

Parents enjoyed painting their very own "Brilliant Earth" tote bags, sharing laughs, creativity, and connection in a relaxed and joyful space.

This event is part of SOMACC's Parent Connection Series, where we intentionally create opportunities for our parents to build meaningful connections, recharge, and engage with one another beyond the classroom.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening so special! Special thanks to .events and our amazing paint instructor Paulette for guiding us step-by-step and bringing out everyone's inner artist.

We are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Judith Baker, a pioneer of SOMACC and a lifelong champion for early childhood education and high-quality care for children and families across San Francisco.

Judith devoted four decades of her life to SOMACC, serving the organization from 1971 to 2011 as a teacher, Executive Director, and Director of the SOMA Family Resource Center. Her leadership, vision, and unwavering advocacy helped shaped SOMACC into the organization it is today. She continued her service as a member of SOMACC's Board of Directors from 2013 through 2017, generously offering her wisdom and guidance well beyond her formal tenure. In recognition of her lasting impact, one of SOMACC's schools, which operated from 2006 to 2022, was named in her honor.

A true matriarch in every sense of the word, Judith was a generous mentor to many SOMACC staff members, a trusted consultant to early childhood education programs, a guiding force for early childhood directors throughout the community, and a powerful inspiration to all who had the privilege of working alongside her. Her passion for children and families extended beyond any single role, shaping not only our organization but also the broader early childhood community and leaving an enduring impact on the field.

Judith was deeply loved and endlessly admired, and her legacy will continue to live on through the countless lives she touched and the work she helped build. We will carry her spirit, wisdom, and commitment forward in all that we do.

Rest in power, Judith. You will always hold a special place in our hearts. 💛

🌟 Grateful & Proud 🌟

We're excited to share that South of Market Child Care, Inc. (SOMACC) has been named a Greatnonprofits Top-Rated Nonprofit for the 12th year in a row!

This honor belongs to our incredible families, alumni, and supporters who took the time to share their experiences and lift up our work. Your stories, encouragement, and belief in our mission help us continue providing high-quality early education and support for children and families in our community.

Your voices matter and they make moments like this possible. 💛

✨ Read our reviews and share your own story using the link: https://greatnonprofits.org/org/south-of-market-child-care-inc-somacc

✨ Calling all SOMACC families, alumni, friends, and supporters! ✨

Have a moment to share your experience with SOMACC? It takes just a couple of minutes - and it makes a big impact! 💛

We need just 3 more reviews by December 31 to earn Top Rated Nonprofit status for the 12th consecutive year. Your voice truly makes a difference for the children and families we serve.

👉 Click the link in our bio to share your story: https://greatnonprofits.org/write-review/328874

Thank you for being part of our community and helping spread the love!

🎁 ❤️

This holiday season, you can help children believe in their dreams 💭

Your support and donations help kids learn, grow, and hope for a brighter future 🌟
Every little gift makes a BIG difference 💖

🎁 Give for kids today!

How to Donate:
1️⃣ Text SOMACC2025 to 707070
2️⃣ Click the link in our bio to donate online
🔗 https://www.pledge.to/give-for-kids-2025

Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season 🤍✨

🎁 ❤️

❄️ WinterFest: A Celebration of Connection and Community

Families, children, and staff came together to share joy, laughter, and meaningful moments that remind us how strong our community truly is. From smiles and togetherness to festive fun, WinterFest was all about celebrating the relationships that make our schools feel like home.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make this celebration so special. ✨