About Foothill Child Development Center · San Jose
Foothill Child Development Center is one of 16 licensed child development sites operated by SJB Child Development Centers (San Juan Bautista Child Development Center), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1971 in San Jose, California. Located at 230 Pala Avenue in San Jose's 95127 zip code, Foothill serves infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in a Monday–Friday program (7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) under Site Supervisor Ann-Marie Lemmerman. It is part of a Santa Clara County organization whose mission is to provide high-quality educational childcare for children ages 0–12 regardless of economic status.
Foothill Child Development Center is a licensed infant, toddler, and preschool site operated by SJB Child Development Centers, a Santa Clara County nonprofit founded in 1971 by Bill Williams. SJB's mission grew out of Williams's vision to help low-income working families escape poverty by giving them access to the same quality of early childhood education available to wealthier families; the organization was the first in Santa Clara County to offer toddler care as well as before- and after-school care. The parent organization, formally known as San Juan Bautista Child Development Center (EIN 94-1747079), now operates roughly 15–16 sites across San Jose and Gilroy under its administrative office at 1400 Parkmoor Avenue, Suite 220, San Jose. The Foothill site at 230 Pala Avenue (95127) serves infants, toddlers, and preschoolers Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with Ann-Marie Lemmerman as Site Supervisor. Programs use the research-based Creative Curriculum and emphasize social-emotional development, language and literacy, English-language development, and mathematics. SJB also offers family-partner services, subsidized slots through Title 5 of the California Department of Education, three free meals a day, and partnerships with the Santa Clara County Office of Education Head Start department. The nonprofit has earned a Charity Navigator 100% score and is recognized as a community-rooted provider serving diverse families throughout the region.
- In business
- SJB Child Development Centers founded 1971; Foothill site initial license issue date 2020-01-16 (License #434416230)
- Owner
- SJB Child Development Centers was founded by Bill Williams. Executive Director (parent organization): Kelly Mercurio. Foothill Site Supervisor: Ann-Marie Lemmerman.
- Serves
- San Jose, California (primarily 95127 / East San Jose) within Santa Clara County
About SJB Child Development Centers
SJB Child Development Centers (formally San Juan Bautista Child Development Center) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered at 1400 Parkmoor Avenue, Suite 220, San Jose, CA 95126. Its stated mission is 'to provide high quality educational childcare for children 0 to 12 years of age and to strengthen and support families throughout Santa Clara County.' The organization was founded in 1971 by Bill Williams, who saw new apartments being built for low-income families in his San Jose neighborhood and pushed for a preschool site that would give those families the same opportunities as wealthier ones. SJB has since grown to roughly 15–16 sites across San Jose and Gilroy and was the first provider in Santa Clara County to offer toddler care and before- and after-school care.
- Founded 1971 by Bill Williams
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 94-1747079
- Administrative Office: 1400 Parkmoor Ave., Suite 220, San Jose, CA 95126
- Phone: (408) 414-2700
- Charity Navigator 100% score
The Foothill Site
Foothill is one of SJB's licensed child development centers, located in East San Jose. It serves infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in a single-site program that operates Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The site is led by Site Supervisor Ann-Marie Lemmerman, with a Family Partner (Yesenia Ramirez) supporting enrolled families. As a licensed facility (License #434416230, issued January 16, 2020), Foothill has a state-licensed capacity of 25 children.
- Address: 230 Pala Avenue, San Jose, CA 95127
- Phone: (408) 928-5221
- Site Supervisor: Ann-Marie Lemmerman
- Family Partner: Yesenia Ramirez
- Ages served: Infant, Toddler & Preschool
- Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Curriculum
SJB Child Development Centers uses the Creative Curriculum across its Infant/Toddler, Preschool, and School-Age programs. The Creative Curriculum balances teacher-planned and child-initiated learning, emphasizing responsiveness to each child's strengths, interests, needs, and learning styles. SJB focuses specifically on closing the achievement gap by targeting social-emotional development, language and literacy, English-language development, and mathematics.
- Creative Curriculum for Infant & Toddler, Preschool, and School-Age
- Five components: how children develop and learn; the learning environment; what children learn; caring and teaching; partnering with families
- Emphasis on social-emotional, language/literacy, English-language development, and math
Tuition, Enrollment & Subsidized Care
SJB offers both subsidized and private-pay tuition. To qualify for subsidized services, families must be eligible under Title 5 Regulations of the California Department of Education / Child Development Division; family fees are set on a sliding scale based on family size and income. SJB also partners with the Santa Clara County Office of Education Head Start department to serve the community's most needy families. Three free meals a day (breakfast, lunch, snack) are provided through the Child and Adult Care Food Program at participating sites.
- Subsidized child care (Title 5 / sliding scale)
- Private-pay tuition options
- Head Start partnership with Santa Clara County Office of Education
- Three free meals daily via the Child and Adult Care Food Program
Family Partner Services
Each SJB site has a Family Partner who works with enrolled families to identify and meet concrete needs — including employment, food, and housing — and connects them to mental health services and counseling for both children and family members. Family engagement is built into the curriculum: teachers routinely share books, projects, and activities that families can do at home to extend classroom learning.
- Embedded Family Partner at every site
- Mental health services and counseling referrals
- Employment, food, and housing resource navigation
- Take-home learning activities aligned with classroom studies
Leadership
SJB is led by Executive Director Kelly Mercurio. The Foothill site is supervised by Ann-Marie Lemmerman. The organization's original founder, Bill Williams, remains central to its mission narrative and continues to inspire its emphasis on serving low-income and working families.
- Executive Director: Kelly Mercurio
- Foothill Site Supervisor: Ann-Marie Lemmerman
- Founder: Bill Williams (1971)
SJB Network of Sites
SJB operates approximately 15–16 child development sites across Santa Clara County, with the San Juan site (1945 Terilyn Avenue) being the original 1971 flagship. Other locations include Cassell, Franklin, Gateway (Gilroy), James Lick, Kennedy, Northwood, Rouleau, San Juan, Stonegate, Tamien Station, Vinci Park, William Overfelt, and Foothill — collectively serving infants through school-age children throughout San Jose and Gilroy.
- San Juan — 1945 Terilyn Ave., San Jose 95122 (original 1971 site)
- Foothill — 230 Pala Ave., San Jose 95127
- Gateway — 7151 Hanna St., Gilroy 95020
- Kennedy — 1621 Clemence Ave., San Jose 95122
- Franklin — 420 Tully Rd., San Jose 95111
- Stonegate — 2545 Sherlock Dr., San Jose 95121
- Plus Cassell, James Lick, Northwood, Rouleau, Tamien Station, Vinci Park, William Overfelt
Getting Involved
SJB invites community members to engage through volunteering, careers, donations, and its newsletter. The 'Connect with us' navigation on the site links to Volunteer, Newsletter, Careers, and the SJB Contact List. The organization is registered as a 501(c)(3) and is eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
- Volunteer opportunities
- Careers / employment
- SJB newsletter
- Tax-deductible donations accepted