"Estrella works to ensure equal access to family services that enhance youth development to build the foundation for a lifetime of success."

Objectives:

* To help families help themselves to become healthy and self sufficient.

* To provide young people with purpose, direction, guidance, and tools to build a vibrant future with the capacity and confidence for greatness.

* To enable all families to have equal access to family services.

Estrella envisions that children of all backgrounds will have access to opportunities and services, provided in the context of the whole family, that prepare them for greatness.

Estrella will serve as a model of excellence in early care and education and other services for the enrichment of all children and their families.

• Innovation, creativity, efficiency, responsiveness, adaptability.

• Excellence, evidence based, best practices, results-oriented, achievement, continuous improvement.

• Honesty, integrity, transparency.

• Dignity, respect.

• Diversity and inclusiveness.

• Engaged participation/active engagement, commitment to community service.

• Fun, joyful, creative play, enjoyment, great place for all, balancing work and play.

• Non-profit generating endeavors such as Secret Santa, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Kids to Camp.

Estrella aids the community by helping families help themselves.  Primary to that is supplying subsidized childcare only to low-income families whose parent(s) work or attend formal training to maintain or improve their economic self-sufficiency.  Seventy percent of these families have incomes lower than
$30K annually.

In addition, Estrella prides itself on serving families in a holistic approach rather than just supplying child care services.  Estrella's comprehensive approach to children starts with complete medical, dental,
vision and developmental assessments.  Dependent on the identified needs, appropriate services are offered for both the child and the family in a language and culture apropos to that family.  Estrella assists families with issues such as hunger, homelessness, chemical dependency and employment.

Again, Estrella endeavors to encourage parents to participate in their own
and their family's quality of life in the community.

Cathy Boettcher has been working in the early childhood field for over 30 years. She is presently the Executive Director at Estrella Family Services in San Jose. Cathy also serves as co-chair of the Santa Clara County Local Child Care Planning Council and represents the council on the FIRST 5 Commission in that county. Managing the operations of non-profit child development programs presents many challenges and rewards for Cathy. She is an advocate for children and families, and supports the early Learning workforce through her work as an adjunct faculty member at DeAnza College. She has been involved in projects related to economic development and its connection to the early care field especially in regards to facility development. Cathy holds a Master Degree in Special Education/Early Intervention, and completed her undergraduate work in Sociology and Early Childhood Education.