Just wanted to send a little reminder about how much you have helped my family (and I’m sure countless others) during this hardest time of life. We appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts!
Sarah, Byron and Zadie, Early Learning Scholarship Family
August is a month of back-to-school transitions; all of our Early Learning Programs celebrated the end of the year and are closed this week while staff hold training and get the classrooms ready for the new program year. Many of our Early Learning Scholarship (ELS) families also are transitioning out of childcare and on to Kindergarten!
Here’s a letter from a family to Ashley, the Family Services Specialist who helped them for the past 3 years. Ashley has worked at Wu Yee since 2018, helping San Francisco families find local subsidies to make child care affordable:

Hi Ashley,
This is Sarah, Byron and Zadie writing to thank you for everything you’ve done for our family over these last few years. Having Wu Yee help me navigate childcare while working multiple jobs and going to school was one of the biggest blessings of my life so far. I really mean it! I don’t have to tell you how expensive it is to survive in San Francisco, but this is my hometown, and I’m determined to make it all work. With that said, I can’t imagine how we would have done it without a program like WYCS, or the incredible help from people like you!
Stumbling through the pandemic has also been an extreme challenge, but once again, knowing Zadie has had a safe and loving childcare to go to everyday has been the greatest gift of this last year and a half. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t give thanks for her wonderful childcare in our neighborhood. None of it would have been possible without you, so thank you SO MUCH for all your great work. Getting our termination letter in the mail was definitely bitter-sweet. I know Z is off to bigger and brighter days, but we are all going to miss the special years she has spent with teachers Larissa and now Gayane.
I hope this finds you and your loved ones well and healthy. Just wanted to send a little reminder about how much you have helped my family (and I’m sure countless others) during this hardest time of life. We appreciate you from the bottom of our hearts!
With love and gratitude,
Sarah, Byron, and Zadie

The ELS team at Wu Yee’s last in-person all-staff retreat, in 2019. ELS Manager Mellisa Mai is at far left, Ashley is at the far right. The ELS team distributed over $14 million in 2021-21, enabling 922 children to attend child care.