How it Began - 1970s
Did you know Wu Yee has been around since the 1970’s? The Immigration Act of 1965 allowed immigrants to come into the U.S. in equal numbers and new immigrants to the US could only find employment in ethnic enclaves like Chinatown. Even though both parents had to work, there were no childcare services available.
So parents, teachers, and social workers banded together to create The Association of Children’s Rights and Services in December 1976, soon renamed Wu Yee Children’s Services, meaning “protector of children,” in Cantonese.
In 1977, the first child care center, Lok Yuen (meaning “happy garden” or “paradise” in Cantonese) opened in the Richmond, and would move to Chinatown in the following year.
1980s Bilingual, Multicultural Education
A “second wave” of refugees were entering the U.S., many from Vietnam, Thailand, and other countries of Southeast Asia. Wu Yee began building coalitions outside of Chinatown.
To respond to the dynamic flux of demographics of both Chinatown and SF, Wu Yee opens centers in ethnically diverse Tenderloin. Bilingual, multicultural curriculum was developed in response to changing demographics to help immigrants prepare for the American school system.
1990s Standing Up for Children’s Needs
During the 1990’s, San Francisco took a critical look at its shortcomings in meeting the diverse needs of the City’s population. Wu Yee led the effort to create the San Francisco Child Care Providers Association (SFCCPA) to increase public support for early child care and education.
Wu Yee Children’s Services emerged as a leading organization to both push the service systems and to fill the outreach gaps of underserved communities. Wu Yee was awarded an Early Head Start (EHS) grant and entered into partnership with On Lok Senior Health for a multigenerational program: Generations Child Development Center.
Wu Yee also launched the Home Based program, known today as the Family Child Care (FCC) Home program, to provide support and Early Head Start services to Family Child Care Homes owned and run by families in the community.
2000s Reaching Children Across SF
With a growing citywide waitlist of children without access to child care, Wu Yee had to act quickly.
Having successfully developed six Head Start and Early Head Start child development centers in the northeast neighborhoods, Wu Yee was tapped to develop centers in more underserved neighborhoods resulting in six new child development centers to serve Western Addition, Tenderloin, Bayview Hunter’s Point, Potrero Hill, Ocean-Merced-Ingleside, and Sunnydale/ Visitacion Valley.
In 2005, Wu Yee Children’s Services also opened the Joy Lok Family Resource Center, providing additional support, resources, and social connectivity to San Francisco families.
2020 COVID19 Response, Recovery and Future
Wu Yee opens San Francisco’s first emergency child care center to serve essential frontline workers. We also distribute meals and essential supplies to support over 200 families each week during Shelter-in-Place mandate. Staff develop virtual services and classes to continue parent support.
Wu Yee rallied with the early care and education community to pass progressive measures Baby Prop C in 2018 and Prop F in 2020 to increase funding for early care and education infrastructure in San Francisco. Children are essential to San Francisco and for an equitable economic recovery. We must continue to stand up for every child.
Today
Wu Yee Children’s Services is the largest Head Start and Early-Head Start provider in San Francisco, operating twelve Early Learning Centers throughout the city and providing holistic, culturally responsive early childhood education and family support services to over 3,000 children and families annually in San Francisco’s most underserved communities
Our Resource & Referral team, Joy Lok Family Resource Center and Bayview Hub provide access to parenting classes, playgroups, diaper and book giveaways, housing and benefits navigation, basic needs support, and connection to public services.
Our Home Visiting Services team provides prenatal and perinatal support to expecting families, and our Home Based Program continues to support FCC Homes throughout the city.
To address the growing shortage of early childhood educators across San Francisco, in 2024 Wu Yee created the IRISE Apprenticeship Program to provide aspiring educators with a paid, supported pathway into the field.
