New Resource Center for Youth Opens in Richmond District

By Jennifer Viale

The Asian Women's Resource Center (AWRC) and Kai Ming Head Start have teamed up to expand services for Chinatown and Richmond District residents via a new Asian Family Support Center. The Richmond center opened in May.

"A lot of Asian immigrants are no longer staying in Chinatown," said Gloria Tan, executive director of the AWRC. Citing 2000 census data, she said Asians have moved to other parts of San Francisco, including the Richmond District. "There are just not enough services provided for the community here," she said. "Not just for Asians, but any racial group."

On Tuesday mornings the Richmond center is bustling with children between the ages of two and three and their parents attending classes at the Parent-Child Development Program.

Kathy Sin, a parent education specialist for Kai Ming Head Start, said the parents she has worked with are very glad that new services are now available in their neighborhood.

One of the goals of the class is to prepare children for pre-school. One mother noticed that her child is already learning to become more independent, while another mother said her daughter loves coming to class to learn new songs.

Currently the class is limited to 12 and it already has a waiting list of hundreds.

"We have a waiting list because we gradually want to be able to expand."

Supported by a grant from the First Five San Francisco Children and Families Commission, the center will offer comprehensive family support services, including parent and child development programs, parent education workshops and support groups, social events, home visitations, case management, counseling and referral services.

Tan views the collaboration between AWRC and Kai Ming as "a natural partnership." Both organizations share a history of providing comprehensive family support services to immigrant families in the Bay Area.

"Basically all of the services (in the Richmond District) are extensions of what we are doing in Chinatown," Tan said. "So it's exciting. We have big plans, but we also realize - or maybe it's just our philosophy - that you start slow and steady and just let things grow naturally."

For more information about services or volunteering at the Asian Family Support Center, contact the office at (415) 221-5783.