A lack of affordable, high-quality early childhood care throughout San Diego County is an enormous obstacle that adversely affects children’s readiness for kindergarten and school, and creates barriers to employment and upward mobility for new parents.

Thousands of parents are forced to make an impossible choice between paying more than they can afford; settling for cheaper, lower-quality care; or leaving the workforce altogether.

That’s why a childcare facility at SAY San Diego is such a significant milestone for the region. Thanks to a grant from The San Diego Foundation, SAY San Diego’s workplace-based Early Childhood Center now offers accessible, affordable and high-quality childcare to its employees and community parents.

Click here to read the full article from The San Diego Foundation

Media Advisory for Friday, November 15, 2019

SAY San Diego Early Childhood Center in Kearny Mesa Opens

What

A lack of affordable, high quality early childhood care throughout San Diego area is an enormous obstacle that adversely affects children’s readiness for Kindgergarten and school, and creates barriers to employment and career development for new parents.  In partnership with the Guy C. Clum Fund at The San Diego Foundation, SAY San Diego is opening its first workplace childcare program for infants 6 weeks to 24 months and preschoolers 2 to 5 years old.  The SAY San Diego Early Childhood Center offers accessible, affordable and high-quality child care to its employees and community parents in a nature-themed setting.  With a $500,000 grant from the Guy C. Clum Fund at The San Diego Foundation, SAY San Diego was able to pursue its vision of creating greater equity and opportunity for young families. SAY’s center offers flex fees based on household income and an innovative model and consulting team to assist local employers to develop child-care centers at their own workplaces.

For nearly 50 years, Social Advocates for Youth (SAY) San Diego has been committed to opportunity, equity, and well-being for all San Diegans, and currently strengthens children, families, and communities through more than 30 programs. www.saysandiego.org

Who

Nancy Gannon Hornberger, President & CEO, SAY San Diego
LaDreda Lewis, Board President, SAY San Diego
Mark Stuart, President & CEO, The San Diego Foundation
Nathan Fletcher, County of San Diego Supervisor, District 4
Chris Ward, City of San Diego Councilmember, District 3
Chris Cate, City of San Diego Councilmember, District 6
Nick Macchione, Agency Director, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency
Bob Cote, Business Relations Director, Better Business Bureau – Pacific Southwest

When

November 15, 2019

Time

10:00am – Refreshments and Tours
10:15am – Welcome Remarks from San Diego Leaders
10:30am – Ribbon Cutting and Photos
10:45am – Center open for photos/videos

Where

SAY San Diego Early Childhood Center, 4775 Viewridge Avenue, San Diego, CA 92123

Visuals

Infant care center (infants may be on site and likely sleeping)
Access to preschool classroom and playground (preschoolers engaged in activities)
Staff tours & parent interviews
*Pre-event tours and interviews available on request

Photos

High Resolution Photos available on request

Contact

Suzie Colby at or 760.237.8118

Students from SAY San Diego’s Club ELEVATED at Serra High School worked alongside law enforcement to collect expired and unused medication during National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. NBC 7 covered the event.

View News Story

The City of San Diego updated its Social Host Ordinance law to include marijuana and other drugs in addition to alcohol. SAY San Diego’s Lisa Bridges, Program Manager with the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention program, spoke to NBC 7’s Danny Freeman.

Click here to view

ABC 10 News reporter, Jeff Lasky, visited SAY San Diego’s Jerabek Preschool and spoke with CEO, Nancy Gannon Hornberger, about our plan to open a workplace Early Childhood Center. Thanks to a generous grant from the Guy C. Clum Fund at The San Diego Foundation, the Early Childhood Center will serve as a model to local employers to inform and encourage them to develop child-care centers at their own workplaces.

Click here to view the 10 News story

This week, The San Diego Foundation received $13.8 million from local philanthropist Guy C. Clum to make preschool financially accessible to more San Diego families. SAY San Diego is thrilled to be one of four organizations selected for the initial phase of grant-making and received $500,000 to launch a workplace-based early childhood center, set to open in early 2019, at its new office in Kearny Mesa. The center will provide an important early childhood education advantage to children ages 5 weeks through 5 years. The center will also be a model for local employers, to inform and encourage them to develop child-care centers at their own workplaces. The center and workplace child care project are key parts of SAY San Diego’s commitment to improve child development outcomes and strengthen families. “This generous grant enables SAY San Diego to take a truly exciting step, which directly translates into life-changing opportunities and greater educational equity for more San Diego children and families,” says Nancy Gannon Hornberger, SAY San Diego CEO. “We are honored by this wonderful gift, and Mr. Clum’s leadership.”

CLICK HERE to read more from the San Diego Union Tribune.

CLICK HERE to read more from Philanthropy News Digest

SAY San Diego is pleased to partner with the San Diego Police Department to host open houses for the crime-free multi-family housing program. Crime-free multi-housing brings a hands-on, collaborative approach to reduce crime, drugs, and gangs in apartment communities. SAY San Diego facilitates the engagement of residents and property managers in training and information sessions designed to help them be more aware and proactive in preventing crime.

Click here for ABC 10 News story
Click here for KUSI News story

Concerns about vaping are on the rise as manufacturers appear to be marketing to children and teens with packaging that mimics candy, treats and juice boxes. Vape shops continue to open in close proximity to schools as well. It’s estimated that 11 percent of all American high school students are using e-cigarettes. Staff from SAY San Diego’s Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Prevention Program spoke to CBS News 8 and the San Diego Reader about this trend.

Click here for CBS News 8 story
Click here for San Diego Reader story

From San Diego Union Tribune
By James Hebert

• Intrepid Theatre is taking its performance project about San Diego refugee students on a tour that the company hopes will reach 20 area schools this year.
• The project, “Exiled Voices,” originally told the stories of 13 young refugees, as interpreted by a variety of local songwriters, choreographers and other artists.
• The touring version, which launched recently in Chula Vista, is a streamlined version that has a couple of the artists performing and talking about their works.
• Intrepid is also now in the early stages of developing a new project about the “DREAMERers,” in partnership with SAY San Diego.

One year ago, the stories of 13 young refugees from around the world played out on the stage of downtown’s Horton Grand Theatre via dance, spoken word, song and other original creative works.

In the time since Intrepid Theatre premiered “Exiled Voices: The Refugee Art Project,” a number of those works’ subjects — who were all Crawford High School students at the time — have graduated or moved away from San Diego.

But their struggles and triumphs continue to reverberate — this time on a whole new series of stages.

Click here to read the full article

Clinic Gets $2.6M Grant to Fight Smoking

From San Diego Union Tribune
By Linda McIntosh

The Vista Community Clinic received a $2.6 million grant to bolster its efforts to fight tobacco-related disease among area Hispanic and Latino residents in North County and in neighboring Orange County.

The five-year grant from the California Department of Public Health’s Tobacco Control Program is slated to support the nonprofit clinic in its efforts to promote programs that help community members stop smoking and activities that discourage youths from smoking.

The funds are also earmarked for programs that educate the community about the dangers of secondhand smoke and how to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke in places such as apartment complexes and trade schools. As part of the pilot project, clinic staff will receive training to help them educate the public on ways they can improve their health by quitting smoking.

The project is slated to include California Smokers’ Helpline materials and services.

The clinic is partnering with two other nonprofits on the project: SAY (Social Advocates for Youth) San Diego and America on Track based in Santa Ana, which provides resources and mentors for disadvantaged families.

The Vista Community Clinic operates out of seven locations in Vista and Oceanside, serving more than 57,000 North County residents. The clinic also runs two facilities in Riverside and Orange counties. Many of its community health education programs are free and open to all community members.