NLF Highlights
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October 1975
Established firsEstablished first program for preschoolers in the education building of the S.F.
December 1976Received funding contract from the California Department of Education to subsidize children of low-income families. Move to a larger facility in an African American church on Golden Gate Avenue and Masonic.
December 1977 Moved back to Japantown after securing a lease for the auditorium of Kinmon Gakuen on Bush Street.
January 1979Opened After School Program to accommodate preschool graduates attending elementary school. The After School Program relocates to its present location at Christ United Presbyterian Church which allows for further expansion.
October 1985Opened second preschool site at the Western Addition YWCA to accommodate a long waiting list.
December 1992 Collaborated with other childcare centers, family daycare homes, and mental health providers to offer services and subsidies for infants through elementary school-age children and their families with funding through the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth and Families.
July 1998Joined 26 other community-based agencies to form the Asian Pacific Islander Family Resource Network (APIFRN), which serves to strengthen families and reduce the risk of abuse and neglect in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. Funding for the network services is secured from the Department of Human Services.
September 2000 Announced the kick-off of its first Capital Campaign for a permanent facility at its 25th Anniversary Celebration.
March 2002Became owner of the historic 1830 Sutter Street building in the course of the settlement of a community-supported lawsuit to save the building, six years after the S.F. YWCA puts the building up for sale. As part of the purchase agreement, NLF is to develop the facility as a resource to the community with the responsibility to protect and promote the historic legacy of its Issei (first generation) women founders.
December 2005 Retired its mortgage on the 1830 Sutter Street building.
September 2007Preschool programs become certified as Preschool for All (PFA) sites which provide funding to help families of 4 year old children have a high quality preschool experience prior to entering Kindergarten.
December 2010Completed its first $2.2 million Capital Campaign for the purchase and renovation of the 1830 Sutter Street facility.
November 2012 Announced its $3.5 million “Plant A Seed Campaign (PASC)” to construct a building addition to its 1830 Sutter Street facility to consolidate both its preschool programs into one building. The addition will be built on the adjacent playground lot with a basement level, first level preschool room and rooftop playground and will allow for an increase in student capacity.
May 2017 Building addition is completed and preschool programs settle in to the new expanded facility, blending modern with historic. The completed project comes in over $4 million, so the "Plant a Seed Campaign" fundraising continues...
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January 2020 NLF's 1830 Sutter Street, Japanese YWCA building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the California Registerof Historical Resources. These actions preserve and honor the incredible history and legacy of the Issei Women who built the Japanese YWCA in 1932, despite facing the discriminatory California Alien Land Laws, subsequent incarceration during WWII, and post war political and social conflicts.