From Experience to Impact: How Women Shaped Child Care in San Francisco

At Children’s Council, our work has long been shaped by women leaders, advocates and visionaries who have helped move early care and education forward in San Francisco and beyond. This Women’s History Month, we’re highlighting a few of the extraordinary women whose leadership and impact continue to shape how we support children, families and providers today.

A Personal Story Behind the Work

For our President and CEO Barbara Coccodrilli Carlson, that story is personal. From navigating child care as a new mom to now leading the organization, her journey reflects what so many families experience and why access to reliable, quality care matters.

In the video below, she shares how those early experiences and the women who influenced her along the way, continue to shape her leadership and how she envisions the future of child care.

Barb’s story is part of a larger legacy, one shaped by the women who built Children’s Council and whose impact continues to guide our work. Below we highlight a few of the pioneering women whose leadership and vision helped advance child care for future generations.

The Founding Women of Children’s Council

In 1974, Patty Siegel (pictured left) and Martha Roditti (pictured right) helped establish the organization with a clear purpose: to help families find reliable child care and support the educators caring for San Francisco’s youngest learners. What began as a grassroots effort responded directly to the needs of working families during a time when more women were entering the workforce and access to reliable child care was becoming increasingly essential.

Patty, Children’s Council’s founding executive director (1974-1979), and Martha, who later served as executive director (1984-1993), helped transform a small referral service started in Patty’s garage into a trusted institution serving families and providers across San Francisco. 

Their leadership helped create one of the first centralized child care referral systems in California, making it easier for families to find care and for providers to connect with the communities they serve. What they built became a model across the state, and their impact continues to shape how families and early educators are supported today.

Patty and Martha were not setting out to make history, they were responding to what families and communities needed. Their leadership helped build systems of support that continue to serve families and providers more than five decades later. 

When reflecting on that work, Patty shared:
“I did what I knew was right. I never had a grandiose plan of creating all that came to be.”

Leadership in Practice

For more than 25 years, Dr. Farris Page (pictured above) dedicated her work at Children’s Council to strengthening how child care providers support children’s emotional and developmental needs across San Francisco. 

As Clinical and Child Development Director, Farris led a team of mental health consultants who trained hundreds of child care providers to better understand and respond to the needs of children experiencing trauma. By bringing trauma-informed practices into early childhood settings, Farris helped providers understand the reasons behind children’s behaviors and respond in ways that support healthy development. 

In 2014, Children’s Council created the Farris Page Award, presented annually to a staff member who displays exceptional expertise, compassion for families and coworkers, and a deep commitment to our mission of making quality child care and early education a reality for all children in San Francisco. 

In response to the award created in her honor, Farris shared: “I am so happy that my work left an impact and that this award can continue to inspire others.”

Carrying the Work Forward

As Executive Director from 2011-2019, Sandee Blechman (pictured above) guided Children’s Council through a period of innovation and growth. 

Under Sandee’s leadership, Children’s Council strengthened programs for both families and child care providers while also modernizing its brand and technology. This included the launch of a mobile-friendly Child Care Finder, giving families across San Francisco a faster, easier way to search and connect with child care. 

Sandee also helped build a private base of support to fuel innovation and bring new programs to life. This included the creation of the PlayLab, a space that brings families together through playgroups, peer support groups and workshops, fostering connections between families and providers. 

Sandee introduced new tools into Children’s Council’s work, strengthening connections between families and providers and helping families navigate the often complex process of finding care.

Continuing the Legacy

We honor the women whose leadership and vision helped shape Children’s Council and continue to guide our work today. As we carry their legacy forward, we invite you to be a part of what comes next. Your support helps ensure that children, families and providers across San Francisco have the care and resources they need to thrive.