Impact Report
The generosity from our supporters and partners in the community allows us to continue to work with youth and families to overcome mental, emotional, and behavioral health challenges and allows us to provide them with the necessary mental health care services they need to be successful.
San Diego Center for Children is the leading non-profit children’s mental healthcare provider in our region.
Our skilled and compassionate team is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families through nationally accredited mental health and educational programs. We provide a more hopeful and meaningful path to a better future for thousands of families every year, and we’ve been doing it since 1887.
Last year, we were able to empower the lives of 11,037 youth and family members through our services. Thank you for helping us continue our legacy as San Diego’s oldest children’s nonprofit.
Mission
We empower children and families through transformative mental health care and educational services.
Vision
Inspire a world where children and families live joyful, healthy lives.
Dear Friends and Supporters,
We are delighted to present this comprehensive overview of our organization’s impactful work.
The need for the mental health services the Center provides has never been greater as we see not only more youth impacted, but also an increase in the severity of the conditions we treat. We are grateful for the support we receive to provide quality, responsive and accessible care to the many youth and families in need.
As we reflect on the year, we know that with the support of our community we will continue to provide compassionate and transformative mental health care and educational services to those in need.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Together we will create the necessary change that will have a lasting impact on the community we serve.
Welcome
With Gratitude,
Tara Beckman, LCSW
Lisa Goodman president & ceo chairperson of the board of trustees
Our Impact
93% of youth were discharged to a lower or same level of care after treatment
100% family involvement during youth treatment
95% of youth avoided psychiatric hospitalization
22% of the 11,037 youth we serve are foster youth
Youth Served by Race/Ethnicity Ages 0-21
42% WHITE CAUCASIAN
23% HISPANIC
6% ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER
1% AMERICAN INDIAN ALASKA NATIVE 11% MULTIRACIAL/OTHER
4% UNKNOWN, NOT REPORTED, MISSING 13% BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICAN
Youth Served by Gender Ages 0-21
42% Female
52% Male 6% Other
Over 13 Master’s and 7 Doctoral graduate students from 8 programs participated in our professional training programs in the areas such as psychology, counseling, special education and social work.
Our Program Sites
• Every zip code in San Diego County
• Receive referrals from throughout California
• Contract with every School District in the County
New Leadership at San Diego Center for Children
After a thorough search process, the Board of Trustees of San Diego Center for Children selected Tara Beckman, LCSW to lead the organization at a time of momentous growth and expansion. She replaced Moisés Barón, Ph.D., who served as President and CEO for nine years before announcing his retirement.
As the first female CEO of San Diego Center for Children, Beckman brings several years of professional experience and progressive leadership to this role as well as the personal passion and dedication necessary to lead the county’s oldest children’s nonprofit.
Most recently, she served as the Chief Program Officer for Hope Services in San Jose, CA and prior to that as Executive Director of Caminar in San Mateo. She also has extensive experience with the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program as Deputy Director, Case Supervisor, and CASA volunteer.
Additionally, the Center appointed Michael Nelson to a newly-created position of Chief Administrative Officer. In this role, Nelson will have oversight for a broad set of operational strategic functions including finance, human resources, information and technology, and facility operations. “The addition of a Chief Administrative Officer is an important next step in the strategic growth of the Center, and I am confident that Michael will bring his years of experience in executive leadership that will build on the Center’s success as the region’s leading children’s mental health care provider,” Beckman said.
Nelson is an accomplished finance executive with a 23-year career serving Fortune 500 companies in retail, energy, and CPG industries.
San Diego Center for Children receives $1 Million Grant
San Diego Center for Children was awarded a $1 million dollar grant by Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund to expand access to mental health services to San Diego’s most underserved youth and families. This grant is the largest private grant received by the Center to date, and ushers in a new model of how to reach children in need of these services.
The need for timely access to mental health care has never been greater and these funds will allow the Center not only to expand the scope of our current services, but to also develop much needed new intensive clinical services to meet the need of the community.
Rest Haven’s Board of Directors determined that access to mental health care services was in a state of crisis and wanted to be at the forefront of providing funding to address the issues. “Our
Board was resoundingly in favor of supporting a local nonprofit that we believed would help bring mental and behavioral health services to many underserved children in San Diego. Several deserving organizations applied for this grant, making it a difficult decision on our part,” said Chris Bryant Nelissen, Chair of the Board of Directors. “Ultimately, however, we believed this partnership with San Diego Center for Children would significantly improve the state of access to services for our area’s most underserved youth.
San Diego Center for Children Board of Trustees with Rest Haven Children's Health Fund
The Center receives two extraordinary California state grants
The Center was one of two organizations in San Diego County awarded two grants from the State of California’s Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) that totaled just over $3.4 million.
BHCIP funds will be used to renovate a cottage in our Residential Treatment Program to a 16-bed Children’s Crisis Residential facility, and to convert a second unit into an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) Hub.
These important components of the mental health continuum of care are currently not available for youth with Medi-Cal in San Diego County. They will be a welcomed addition in our efforts to appropriately respond to the increased need for intensive mental health services for Foster/Adopted Youth and those covered by Medi-Cal.
Thanks to the support of the County as well as the State, these projects that will allow us to significantly expand our capacity to serve San Diego’s most vulnerable youth and their families.
Partners in our Community
Our community continues to provide incredible support to the Center during the year! Through volunteer days our main campus to community drives to collect supplies for our youth and staff, and food for families in need, we are so grateful…
Grant Thornton Volunteer Group Project
Thank you Grant Thornton volunteers! We appreciate the wonderful GT team for giving their time and efforts to beautify the Center’s main campus and transport vehicles. Grant Thornton employees have been volunteering at the Center for more than 10 years!
Back to School Drive
We truly appreciate everyone who contributed to the Center’s back-to-school drive. These donations are a big help to provide our youth with the supplies they need to start the school year off in a safe and supported way.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE OPPORTUNITIES AND TO BECOME MORE INVOLVED, PLEASE VISIT CENTERFORCHILDREN.ORG
Kids Classic Golf Tournament
It was a beautiful day of networking and fun at the Center’s 4th Annual Kids Classic Golf Tournament at Rancho Bernardo Inn. Players enjoyed plenty of food and drink, games and prizes on every hole, and a lively awards reception with exclusive live auction packages. The event was a big hit that raised over $200,000 in support of the Center.
Thank you to our amazing community partners and supporters for collecting toys, games and gift cards for children and teens served by the Center. Many of the families of the youth we serve do not have the means to provide gifts for their children, so your Holiday Heroes contributions are very much appreciated to help make the season bright at the Center!
136th Anniversary Celebration
At the HEART of the Center
The Center's 136th Anniversary Celebration was a great success - bringing over 250 guests to our beautiful main campus for the first time - at the Heart of the Center!
We are so grateful to our event guests, supporters and sponsors for raising over $250,000 to help improve the lives of children and families through our nationally accredited mental health and educational services.
Jackie and Jon Greulich served as Honorary Chairs, and the PATH Award was given to Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund for their incredible support to the Center.
Financial Stability
Statement of Financial Position
Total
Total
Statement of Activities for June 30, 2023
Leadership Team
Board of Trustees
Lisa Goodman, Chairperson Vice President Mercer Advisors
Stephanie Cone, MD, Vice-Chairperson Pediatrician Consultant, The JEM Project Foundation
Eliot Peters, Treasurer Principal RA Capital Advisors
Dori Wittman, Secretary Vice President HUB International
Ann Garland, Ph.D. Professor at USD Founding Chair of the Department of Counseling & Marital and Family Therapy Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD
Ben Gordon
Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Officer at SDG&E
Mindy Mattison
Speech and Language Pathologist, Retired
Michael Nelson Finance Executive
Vince Nowicki Chief Lending Officer Mission Fed
James Shira
US Chief Information & Technology Officer PwC
Dustin Sutton
Owner and Principal Broker
Sutton Real Estate Advisors
Advisory Council
Jodie Brokowski, Esq. General Counsel
Children’s Specialists of San Diego
Tim Carter
Director, Alternative Funding Solutions Employee Benefits Division
Barney & Barney, Marsh & McLennan Agency
Jacqueline L. Greulich
Assoc. Dir., Real Estate Student and Career Services
University of San Diego
Linda L. Katz
Community Leader, Civic Activist
Richard Kintz, Esq. Partner, Corporate Practice Group Sheppard Mullin (of counsel)
Jim Lauer, Esq. Referee Juvenile Court, Retired
Lidia S. Martinez Partner
¡Adelante! Strategies
John Mattison, MD Operating Partner/Chief Medical Information Officer Arsenal Capital Partners
Assistant Medical Director, Chief Health Information Officer, Emeritus Kaiser Permanente, Southern California
Patricia Riley Attorney at Law
Marriage and Family Therapist
Veronica Rubio Umpqua Bank
Senior Vice President, Senior Private Wealth Advisor
Phyllis Snyder
Active Community Leader
Rest Haven Children’s Health Fund
Rady Children’s Hospital
Senior Leadership
Tara Beckman - Jan. 2024
President and CEO
Moisés Barón, Ph.D. - through Jan. 2024 President & CEO
Cheryl Rode, Ph.D. Vice President of Clinical Operations
Janelle Battaglia, LCSW Director of Business Development
Carole Fisher, M.S. Special Education Principal of San Diego Center for Children Academy
Pam Hansen, LCSW Senior Director of Specialty Clinical Programs
Misty Howard Director of Quality Assurance
Ervey Salinas
Senior Director of Residential Programs
Kristi S. Worley Director of Philanthropy
