The History of Family Connections

Family Connections was founded in 1993 (as the East Palo Alto Parent Child Center) by Little Hands: A Parent-Child Center with support from the Sequoia Adult School. Seven families attended our first class, held in a one-bedroom apartment at the Carriage Manor apartment complex on Bay Road in East Palo Alto. We were fortunate to receive funding from the Episcopal Church United Thank Offering, and we used the apartment rented by the Church's El Buen Pastor (the Good Shepherd) group at the Carriage Manor. Teacher Angela Jaime conducted classes in the living room, and stored toys in the shower stall in the bathroom! Little Hands teachers, Board members and parents were key individuals at the start and many more volunteers from Little Hands helped in the classroom, supported us with donations, and helped us with outreach.

After the El Buen Pastor group moved out of the Carriage Manor in 1994, we found space to hold our classes at the Families in Transition two bedroom house on Capital Avenue in East Palo Alto. We used the living room for our parent education and used the kitchen for our art projects. Alas, the house was scheduled for demolition for a highway project, so we needed to move again in 1996.

By 1996, our new Executive Director, Robin Holcomb, had come aboard with a great deal of experience as the Community Outreach Coordinator for the San Carlos-Belmont Mothers Club. In addition 1996 was the year we officially changed our name to Family Connections.

With support and assistance from the City of Menlo Park, our next move brought us to a classroom at the Belle Haven Elementary School in Menlo Park where we shared the space with the City's Belle Haven After School Program. We spent one year in the classroom, and while waiting for a more permanent location from the school district spent 3 months teaching in a local park. Teacher Angela remembers transporting toys and craft projects in the back of her car! But even faced with such great challenges the staff and volunteers of Family Connections vowed to continue the school that the families had grown to love and depend upon.

In 1997, Family Connections found a permanent home in a portable building at Belle Haven Elementary School with the rent paid in-kind by the City of Menlo Park. In 1998, we started two fundraisers; a rummage sale in conjuction with the Rotary Club of Redwood City and an Evening with Children's Authors event. In 1999, we became independent from Little Hands when we were officially granted 501C3 status.

Due to its success and the great need for parenting classes and affordable preschool Family Connections expanded into two new locations in 2002. Our new sites were located at the Girls Club of the Mid-Peninsula in East Palo Alto and at the InnVision Homeless Shelter in Menlo Park (a provider of services for homeless families.) Lorena Cadenas was hired to be the teacher at the two new locations.

Family Connections has gone through many changes over the years, but one thing has always remained the same: our commitment to providing a tuition free parent participation preschool for low-income families where parents learn positive parenting and advocacy skills while their children develop the skills necessary to succeed in Kindergarten and beyond.

Family Connections families, along with Founding Director Margo Keeley and former Executive Director Robin Holcomb in 1996 at Families in Transition building in East Palo Alto.