By providing quality, early childhood education and comprehensive support services, Storyteller Children’s Center helps homeless and at-risk families improve their lives. Please click on individual services for additional information.

Families are referred to Storyteller by various shelters and social service professionals. Some of our families live in shelters, while others live in substandard, exceptionally crowded conditions. All are considered by federal standards to have extremely low incomes ($20,000 or less annually for a family of four) and nearly half consist of single-parent households. Due to the difficulties these families face, exposure to medical, educational and other benefits is usually limited and child development is often delayed.

Childcare & Early Childhood Education Storyteller’s multi-cultural, bilingual early childhood education program is provided five days a week, year-round, from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Our goal is to provide a learning environment that enhances the physical, social, emotional, cognitive, linguistic and creative development of each child. Our program includes a planned, as well as an emergent curriculum that reflects the culture of each family. The curriculum encourages children to be actively involved in the learning process, to experience a variety of activities appropriate to their age and rate of development, and to pursue their own interests in the context of life in the school, community and world.

Counseling/Family Support Services Through a collaborative relationship with New Beginnings Counseling Center, Storyteller provides on-site bicultural/bilingual counselors to help families achieve stability. Our relationships with agencies such as Sojourn, Tri-Counties Regional Center and the Santa Barbara County Health and Preschool Departments help ensure that families also receive the comprehensive off-site services they need.

Case Management With the help of teachers, therapists and administrative staff, Storyteller families set goals and participate in their children’s assessment plans. Follow-up and ongoing evaluations are implemented to ensure completion of goals.

Parent Education Monthly parent education meetings, workshops and classes provided by Storyteller staff and community professionals are based on parents’ needs and requests. The majority of parents attend and participate in the monthly meetings which include such topics as parenting and life skills. There are also parent representatives on the Head Start Policy Council and Storyteller Board of Directors.

Mental Health/Disability Services Therapists and health care practitioners from six different local agencies visit Storyteller weekly to work with children needing speech therapy, behavior modification and other physical and mental health related issues.

Physical Health, Vision and Dental Screening Children receive services from physicians, dentists and optometrists as a requirement of enrollment. Head Start staff, county nurses and other health professionals offer screenings and follow-up on-site as needed.