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San Diego Center for Children

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San Diego, CA
San Diego Center for Children

San Diego's oldest children's nonprofit providing hope and healing to thousands of children and families struggling with mental health challenges.
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Founded in 1887, the San Diego Center for Children is the oldest children's nonprofit in the region, currently serving children and families struggling with emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges. Within eight locations, and hundreds of homes throughout San Diego County, the Center provides assessment, outpatient therapy, school-based therapies, education, wraparound, foster care, and

residential treatment to children, youth and their families, from all walks of life. Each day, the Center touches the lives of over 1,000 children and families, empowering them to live joyful and healthy lives. Please visit www.centerforchildren.org for details about programs and services offered by the San Diego Center for Children.

08/16/2024

Thanks to all the staff that attended the Summer Staff Celebration! ☀️💛✨

08/14/2024

Every dollar counts! Support us during San Diego Gives and help us reach our goal of $5000. Together, we can create lasting change.

08/12/2024

🌟 This month’s Value of the Month is Excellence 🌟 San Diego Center for Children promotes welcoming by maintaining a growth mindset, setting high standards, and holding ourselves accountable in fulfilling best practices towards improving the lives of those we serve and promoting an anti-racist and non-discriminatory environment.

08/09/2024

Meet Helen and Adam, one of the many lives touched by our work. With your support during San Diego Gives, we can help more people like Helen and Adam.

08/07/2024

Thank you to the wonderful volunteer group from Grant Thornton US 🙏 As part of their annual day of service, they conducted a car wash for our youth-transit vehicles and provided a fresh coat of paint to rooms for the Recreation and Transitions Programs. We are grateful to this group for their continued effort and support to the youth we serve.

07/31/2024

Our mission is to empower children and families through transformative mental health care and educational services. Through San Diego Gives, we aim to raise $5000 for San Diego Center for Children so we can keep doing the work that we do. Your support helps us continue to service and uplift our community.

07/25/2024

Exciting news! 🎉 We’re thrilled to be participating in San Diego Gives, a transformative campaign bringing our community together to support local nonprofits. Join us in making a difference! Together, we can create a lasting impact for San Diego.

Together, let’s show what a true philanthropist looks like! 💙

07/24/2024

ECM is a Medi-Cal benefit that provides extra care management services to members with highly complex needs. This new benefit can help you get the care you need to stay healthy and manage the care you get from different doctors and others involved in your care.

🔷 Who can get ECM services?

🔹 Children and youth experiencing homelessness
🔹 Children at risk for hospitalization or visits to the emergency department
🔹 Children and youth with serious mental health and/or substance use needs
🔹 Children and youth involved in child welfare
🔹 Children and youth transitioning from a correctional facility
🔹 Children and youth enrolled in CCS or WCM

🔷 What ECM services are offered?

🔹 Find doctors and get appointments for health related services your child may need
🔹 Find and apply for community based services based on your needs, like housing supports or medically nutritious food
🔹 Set up a ride to get to your child’s doctor, dentist, or therapy visits
🔹 Get follow-up care after your child leaves the hospital or other treatment facility

For more information on Enhanced Care Management, please visit https://www.centerforchildren.org/our-services/wraparound/enhanced-care-management/

07/22/2024

Are you looking to make a difference in your community? Come volunteer at San Diego Center for Children and make a positive impact on the children and families we serve. You and your friends can sign up for one of our campus beautification projects OR you can even help put together a food basket and provide a gift certificate to a local grocery store.

Click on the link in our bio to view our current volunteer opportunities!

🙌 🌟 💖 🏘️ 🛠️

07/17/2024

School will be back in session soon for the youth served by the San Diego Center for Children.

Unfortunately, many of the children, teens and families we serve lack the resources for proper supplies. For youth in need, something as simple as new school supplies can boost their confidence and self-esteem.

You can help in their success!

🔷 Donate funds today by going to our website: https://www.centerforchildren.org/
🔷 Host a donation drive at your company or service organization - download our Donation Drive Flyer:https://www.centerforchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/backtoschooldrive-2024.pdf
🔷 Shop our online wish lists and ship directly to the Center:

🔹 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3DNOVUGNVMXNR/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex
🔹 Target: https://www.target.com/gift-registry/gift-giver?registryId=8e20ec60-03cf-11ee-bc2f-491b7eafde15&type=CHARITY
🔹 Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/b083ad5e-2004-4957-a316-3c677367bf81

Deadline is Friday, August 16th

07/15/2024

The San Diego Center for Children is looking for dedicated individuals who are deeply committed to enhancing the health and wellness of children and families. If you're searching for a career with a meaningful impact and an exceptional organization, the Center could be the perfect fit for you! Click on the link in our bio to view our current positions.

📢 🚀 🌟 🤝 📝

07/10/2024

Stay up to date with San Diego Center For Children. 📬 Subscribe to our newsletter by clicking the link in our bio! 📰✨

🗞️ 📢 🔔 🆕 📖

07/08/2024

🤲 This month’s Value of the Month is Welcoming 🤲 San Diego Center for Children promotes welcoming by promoting a positive, friendly, inviting environment where diversity is celebrated.

06/26/2024

San Diego Center for Children has been working diligently to build a first of its kind comprehensive continuum of nationally accredited mental health services aimed primarily at giving access to underserved and at-risk youth in our region.

With your help, we can work to build a better understanding of the significant challenges our youth are experiencing and ensure that no youth or family in need is left untreated.

Join us today and make a difference in YOUR life and THEIRS!

💸 💖 🎗️ 🤲 🌍

06/21/2024

❤ This month’s Value of the Month is Compassion ❤. San Diego Center for Children promotes compassion by encouraging empathetic practices for oneself and others by viewing all situations through a culturally humble and trauma informed lens.

06/19/2024

Social Justice Group, Family Wellness Center’s very own diversity, equity, and inclusion committee, provides a safe space for staff to voice their opinions and talk about changes they want to make within the workplace. 🤝✨ Recently, Social Justice Group has been recognizing holidays and observances from different cultural backgrounds by printing out posters and putting them up in the lobby. 🌍🎨 (Shoutout to Danica and Elaina for making the awesome posters! 👏) Social Justice Group is made up of staff members from both the East County Outpatient Program and Family Wellness Center teams and meets every Thursday before weekly team meetings. 🗓️💬

✊ 🌈

06/18/2024

Program Supervisor Chelsea Prout and her Intensive Family Services (IFS) Team attended the Partnership for Well-Being Conference last week in Anaheim. The Partnership for Well-Being Conference is a conference hosted by UC Davis Human Services and is held for practitioners serving the Children’s System of Care in California. To learn more about the conference, please visit the link below: https://humanservices.ucdavis.edu/events/partnerships-well-being-institute

06/14/2024

Thank you to Dr. Heline Mirzakhanian and Dr. Donna Corbett from the UC San Diego Cognitive Assessment and Risk Evaluation (CARE) Team for their presentation on Early Identification, Intervention, and Prevention of Psychosis in Adolescents and Young Adults last Friday. We appreciate all the staff who were able to attend this presentation and their commitment to providing the best care for children and families at the Center!

06/12/2024

Meet Mark David Grijalva Peres! 👋 Mark has been working at San Diego Center for Children since 2015 and just celebrated his 🌟 9 year milestone anniversary 🌟 the other day. Mark was born in El Centro but was raised in Calexico, California. He is the father to two beautiful daughters and has been living in San Diego for the past 13 years.

Mark started working at San Diego Center for Children in March 2015 as a Residential Support Specialist. While working one New Years Eve, however, Mark injured himself and was taken off the residential floor. Fortunately, he was soon given the opportunity to work as an Administrative Assistant for the Clark Residential Office and 9 months later, another opportunity to work as a Bilingual Parent Partner at WrapWorks. During this time, Mark also started attending the California State Parent Partner monthly meetings where he would meet with others in the field and share his lived experiences and wisdom.

Today, Mark works as a Bilingual Parent Partner at The East County Outpatient Program (ECOP). He continues to work as a Residential Support Specialist at Residential during the week and on weekends as needed. In his free time, Mark enjoys just driving around and listening to music. Mark grew up listening to all kinds of genres of music but particularly enjoys songs with meaningful lyrics and great instrumentals. Since he was young, Mark has had a passion for free verse poetry and short stories. Both of these passions help keep Mark cope, stay focused, and stay in touch with himself and a higher power. Additionally, Mark enjoys watching baseball (his favorite team being the New York Yankees), collecting movies, and watching movies whether they be at home or on the big screen.

In Mark’s own words, “I am not sure what comes next, but what I am sure of is that it will be of service to others in the humblest, effective, caring, and loving possible way that I can.”

06/11/2024

We are looking for staff who want to work with a purpose! Come check out our onsite job fair this Friday, June 14th from 10-2 pm at San Diego Center for Children (3002 Armstrong St, San Diego, CA 92111). Go to the link below for more information:

https://intsignup.indeed.com/interview/d6fba98b-b87a-4e07-8b23-4f7be92f4053?from=fb

06/10/2024

The Family Wellness Center’s fee-for-service program is now accepting new clients! Our program provides outpatient therapy services (individual and family) and specializes in a variety of areas including anxiety, depression, neurodiversity, and more. The Family Wellness Center also offers Mental Health Access Plan (MHAP) Assessments. MHAP Assessments are used to screen clients and learn more about their needs. The intake clinician who performs the assessment typically sees the client temporarily until they are able to find a permanent therapist or refers them to a higher level of care if necessary.

✅ To schedule an appointment, please call our office at (619) 668-6200 or fill out an online form at https://www.centerforchildren.org/referrals/

✅ For more information about Family Wellness Center, please go to https://www.centerforchildren.org/our-services/outpatient/family-wellness-center/

05/31/2024

Career Day at SDCC! Academy students heard presentations from a wide array of career backgrounds - including Media Production, Real Estate Management, Construction, Ocean Lifeguard, Social Work, Pet Grooming, and more. Many thanks to all of our presenters for their time and expertise!

05/29/2024

Dr. Ben Maxwell, Division Chief of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego, talks about the growing needs of youth struggling with significant mental health challenges: “We’ve seen the crisis on an annual basis grow really from around 2012 and the rate of growth of this crisis has been consistent to the point that it’s never been worse than it is right now. I think sometimes people think it’s the same as it was 9 years ago and it’s not even close to being the same.”

To meet this need, San Diego Center for Children partnered with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego in 2020 to create three new programs: Intensive Outpatient Services, Intensive Family Wraparound Services, and Collaborative Care (therapeutic service within pediatric offices). Click on the link to learn more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ERRBDppQ2g

05/29/2024

San Diego Center for Children helps provide mental health services to youth and families in need like Helen and Adam. Learn about Adam’s experience at The Residential Treatment Center and The Academy here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oiA7pFYMMM

05/24/2024

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Help support underserved and at-risk youth this May by donating today. With your help, San Diego Center for Children can continue to provide life changing care to families!

05/22/2024

We are deeply grateful for the incredible success of the Center's 137th Anniversary Celebration, which welcomed guests to our main campus at the Heart of the Center on May 11. Guests enjoyed gourmet dinner stations, specialty cocktails, classroom tours, and special performances from our youth. The event raised critical funds to support the Center’s transformative mental health care and educational services.

More event photos and videos here: https://www.centerforchildren.org/news/137th-anniversary-celebration/

Address

3002 Armstrong Street
San Diego, CA
92111

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.centerforchildren.org/

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Videos

🌟 Happy International Women’s Day! 🌟 Today we celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women all around the world. To all the incredible women leaders of San Diego Center for Children: thank you for your dedication to improving the lives and families through effective and comprehensive outpatient, residential, and educational mental health programs. Your voices, your stories, and your contributions make a difference. Here’s to celebrating you today and every day! 💪👩‍🎓👩‍⚕️👩‍🔬👩‍🏫👩‍💼👩‍🔧👩‍🚀 #InternationalWomensDay #WomensDay #IWD #WomenLeaders

San Diego Center for Children wish you and your family a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!

The San Diego Center for Children staff and families we serve wish you and yours a happy holiday season and all the best for the New Year!

The Center 's SWAG Committee (Staff Wellness Appreciation Group) hosted its Annual Summer Staff Celebration last week. It was a wonderful afternoon where Center staff enjoyed games, tacos, and outdoor fun with colleagues and their families.

On behalf of the staff and families served by the San Diego Center for Children, we wish you and your family a safe and healthy holiday season!

Staff Summer Celebration 2022

Summer Staff Celebration Pictures! Center staff consists of dedicated and compassionate superheroes, working hard to make a positive difference in the lives of children and their families. Our Summer Staff Celebration is a fun day for the team to get together for games, giveaways and tacos! Special thanks to Advantage Printing Inc. for their help to provide everyone with Center t-shirts.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis, 988 provides 24/7 connection to confidential support. There is Hope. Just call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org #988Lifeline

On behalf of the leadership, staff and families served by the San Diego Center for Children, we wish you and your family a safe and healthy holiday season!

Thank you to all of our amazing #Holiday Heroes helping make the season bright for all the children and families we serve. There is still time to become a Holiday Heroe more information visit www.centerforchildren.org/holiday.

Chris - Wrapworks

#ThankfulnessWeek Our staff gives thanks to for all the food donations for the families served by the Center.

Are you passionate about training and supporting caregivers? The Center’s Foster Family Agency Stabilization and Treatment (FFAST) program has an opening for a Therapeutic Foster Care Clinical Lead. The position offers an exciting opportunity to serve foster youth by supporting their caregivers. For more information visit www.centerforchildren.org/about-us/careers/

Thanks to the generosity of The Clog Dawg Plumbing, Inc. and Steven Douglas, a former residential youth, our current residential youth are able enjoy a monthly “Stevie Day” treat! This month, we celebrate with churros!! THANK YOU for helping to create joy throughout the year. 😀#ThankfulThursday

On this #WellnessWednesday the Center’s North County Academy Therapist Joanna Lopez shares some reminders on ways to maintain mental health for your children and the whole family. These 5 suggestions are great things to do during the summer, so transitioning back to school in Fall is easier. 😎🌴

My Brown is Beautiful

ICYMI: The Center’s staff Aisha Pope, FFAST and IFS Program Director & Yasmin Williams, Residential Clinical Manager were featured on FOX 5 San Diego News yesterday morning sharing the My Brown is Beautiful campaign. This campaign is aimed at providing black children in the foster care system with appropriate hair care & hygiene products along with instructions and self-esteem building component. To learn more about ways you can get involved check out this site https://buyblacksd.com/my-brown-is-beautiful/ #mybrownisbeatiful #buyblacksd #sdcc Buy Black San Diego

Do you have a passion for providing healing and hope to youth with behavioral needs? Learn how you can join our incredible staff in helping youth and families reach their full potential for health and wellbeing. To find career opportunities like the one above, please visit centerforchildren.org/about-us/careers/ and follow the Center.

Invitation from our super-star host

Join us for our Virtual 134th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, May 22nd. Here is a personal invitation from our super-star event host, LaDonna Parham! For more information visit www.centerforchildren.org/celebration

The Center is part of a special series on mental health in San Diego on NBC7. “Breakdown” will air in three separate episodes this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 6:30pm on NBC7. The Center will be highlighted tonight in Episode 1. You don’t want to miss it!

Come out this Friday May 7th to support the Growing Hearts Mother’s Day succulent sale. May 7th, 10am-3pm San Diego Center for Children 3002 Armstrong St. San Diego, CA 92111 #growinghearts

Check out our Academy Principal Mr. Mac promoting Soapy Joe's Car Wash free car washes for teachers from now until May 4th.

Thank You!

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Our Story

Founded in 1887, the San Diego Center for Children is the oldest children's 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the region accredited by The Joint Commission for its excellence in quality of care. The Center provides evidence-based therapeutic, educational, foster care and transition services to children and families struggling with mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. Today, with 8 program sites and community-based services within hundreds of homes and schools across San Diego County, the Center empowers over 1,000 people every day.

For more information about our program services and events, please visit www.centerforchildren.org.