Built by Women, Moving Forward with Women at the Helm: Honoring Women’s History Month at Children’s Council  

By Amie Latterman, Chief Advancement Officer

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the Women’s Movement in the United States made tremendous progress, and many legal battles were won that set the stage for women to engage in the workforce differently. This paradigm shift brought legal protections for equal pay, equal opportunity and financial independence for women across the country. Women could, in theory, more easily secure good paying jobs to support their families. The need for working women to connect to quality, affordable child care grew rapidly as a result. 

Children’s Council of San Francisco was created by women to support parents, families and communities. Early founding leaders like Patty Siegel and Martha Roditti led many grassroots initiatives designed to provide essential child care information, referrals and financial aid.  

The vision and determination of these pioneering women laid the foundation for the organization we know today. With a dedicated team of over 160+ staff members, led by our diverse management team (76% of whom are women) and CEO, Barbara Coccodrilli Carlson, Children’s Council has grown into a powerful community resource. Our team helps families navigate child care and preschool options, and annually provides hundreds of millions of dollars in financial assistance to make it accessible. Additionally, we offer women entrepreneurs and educators the tools, training and resources they need to succeed. Through a broad array of free programs and workshops, we support families and caregivers, empowering them with the knowledge and skills to nurture children’s well-being. 

Our Board of Directors has evolved to include women and leaders from various sectors, including education, psychology, law, medicine, real estate, finance and more. They play an integral role in guiding the organization toward a bright future. Our board chair, Rehana Abbas, draws from extensive nonprofit leadership experience, currently as Chief Philanthropy Officer at the San Francisco Foundation. Bringing decades of wealth management and advisory experience at Goldman Sachs, Board Member Maegan Warehouse is co-chairing our annual Child Care Champions Gala for the third year in a row, along with Board Member Jake Levinson, who is following in the footsteps of three powerful ECE women who built the Bay Area’s Marin Day Schools network of early education centers.  

We’re grateful for the amazing legacy our fore-mothers have provided, and we remain hopeful for all that is to come thanks in part to the leadership of generations of incredible women, dedicated to ensuring that every child in San Francisco has the opportunity to reach their full potential. 

We thank the many women who have led Children’s Council over the past 50 years: 

Patty Siegel (1974-1979)  
Helen Cagampang (1980-1982)  
Barbara Wein (1982-1984)  
Martha Roditti (1984-1993)  
Linnea Klee, Ph.D. (1993-2011)  
Sandee Blechman (2011-2019)  
Gina Fromer, Ph.D. (2019-2023) 
Barbara Coccodrilli Carlson (2024-present) 

View the full timeline of the evolution of Children’s Council over the past 50 years.