Lincoln Child Center

Lincoln Child Center was founded in 1883 as the region's first volunteer-run, non-sectarian, and fully integrated orphanage. As times and community needs evolved, Lincoln's commitment to vulnerable children remained strong. In 1951, Lincoln began serving abused, neglected and emotionally challenged children. Today, as a highly respected provider of children's services, Lincoln has a continuum of programs to serve challenged children and families throughout the Bay Area. Our community-based services include early intervention programs in the Oakland and Pittsburg School Districts aimed at stopping the cycle of violence, abuse and mental health problems for at-risk children and families. In Alameda County, Lincoln provides support to over 400 relative caregivers through the Kinship Support Services Program. For children needing a higher level of intervention and care, Lincoln is only on of two Residential Treatment Programs in the East Bay designed to serve the most severely emotionally disturbed children ages 6-14, nearly 80% of whom are survivors of abuse, neglect and abandonment. The 26 residential clients are joined each day by approximately 75 day treatment students in Lincoln's nonpublic elementary and middle schools (NPS) where they receive a combination of educational and mental health services designed to help them transition into community school and family settings. Many of the children at Lincoln's NPS have endured significant traumas, which may include physical or sexual abuse, pre-natal exposure to drugs and alcohol, domestic violence, or familial instability and stress resulting from extreme poverty. Lincoln educational staff support the emotional and academic goals of their students and assist in their development as whole and healthy children.