News & Impact

This summer 58 high school students from San Francisco, the Peninsula and Marin County participated in JFCS’ YouthFirst six-week internship program. They were placed in all kinds of offices—from a private dentist practice to an engineering firm—as well as at JFCS itself. The program recently concluded with all teens agreeing that it was a fantastic experience. Courting a Career Three years ago as a rising sophomore, Steve Dvorkin was a summer intern at JFCS where he performed administrative and organizational office tasks. The experience was so positive that the 18-year-old returned again this summer. This time he was assigned to… Read More

“A little consideration, a little thought for others, makes all the difference.” Eeyore (Winnie the Pooh) –  We all want our children to be kind. In fact we find ourselves stunned and embarrassed when we witness them being anything but kind. But childhood is a series of growth lessons and learning to be kind is one such milestone. We all assume our children know what being kind means, however it is important to define it for them and discuss it just as you would any other value that’s important to you. So what is the definition of kindness? According to… Read More

  By Tara Noone, MSW When Adoption Connection opened its doors over 30 years ago, open adoption was starting to blossom, but still in its infancy. As one of the first adoption agencies focused on open adoption, we found ourselves working to correct three common misconceptions, many of which are still common today. They are: that the adopted child would be troubled and confused by contact with birth parents; that continued contact would exacerbate birth parents’ grief; and that adoptive parents would remain in constant fear of losing their child or children. Although there has been plenty of anecdotal evidence… Read More

I recently read an article in The Wall Street Journal about if college students should or should not work while in school. I began researching about working in college as I was eager to find out people’s opinion on the subject. I first spoke extensively with Michelle Lamphere, the Director of the Financial Aid Center, at Jewish Family and Children Services. She believes having an academic focus in college is great, but holding a job too is an excellent way to gain real life work experience before embarking on a professional career. She thinks working during college will enhances… Read More

High school students preparing for college are faced with the challenge of figuring out what their total educational costs will be for their freshman year. Each institution states their cost of attendance differently. Colleges can show their costs by number of units, by semester or by year. This is made more difficult to understand when colleges don’t include everything on the same page, such as extra fees, health insurance, loan costs, and additional program expenses. Students may get lost in the excitement of getting accepted to their chosen school, and don’t consider whether their dream school will be an affordable… Read More

Today in the United States over 52 million family members are caring for a spouse or loved one (sometimes around the clock). For the family caregiver the rewards can be great – providing care in the safety and comfort of home brings ease, independence and connection. It may also mean keeping a frail or disabled family member out of a nursing home, or care facility, and the financial burden or loss of autonomy and family connection that may come along with such a choice. However, it can also be a great challenge for family caregivers. Family caregivers usually value their… Read More