Who We Are
Mission
Our
Beliefs
GoKid Staff
Board of Directors
Co-Founders
Who We Are
GoKid.org was founded in 2000, when co-founders Amy Penticoff, Chris Loughran, and Kim Boyd Bermingham met at a San Francisco cooperative preschool. The idea for the website came from their frustration about not being able to find information and resources to help them navigate their new role as parents in San Francisco. What they did find, however, was an incredible community of San Francisco parents, one where they got the best information from strangers (who later became friends) that they met at parks, playgroups, and museums. These parents had a vast knowledge about the great resources the City had to offer. Originally conceived of as a book, Amy, Kim, and Chris decided that a website that communicated this information would be even more helpful.
GoKid.org was launched in the fall of 2000 and became a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in December 2002. GoKid.org has operated for most of its existence as a volunteer organization, with tens of thousands of volunteer hours devoted to the development and maintenance of the website. In late 2005, GoKid.org joined forces with the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and their Families (DCYF), under the leadership of Margaret Brodkin, to take the GoKid.org idea to the next level and create SFkids.org, a City-funded website based on the model that GoKid.org had established. SFkids.org launched in April 2007.
GoKid.org also provides information to organizations such as First 5 San Francisco and SFUSD Parent Relations Department.
GoKid.org, Inc. is a not for profit organization whose mission is to
create and build community support for families and enhance children's
opportunities for intellectual, social, and physical growth by providing
access to resources available for families in their communities.
We encourage parents to become engaged in their children's growth and education and be engaged in their communities by letting them know what educational, social, athletic, community, and parenting resources are available.
We Believe That:
- Children need exposure to a wide variety of experiences to become a well-rounded individual, one with full potential for growth.
- San Francisco offers a unique, varied and rich array of cultural resources, of which every San Francisco child should be afforded the opportunity to experience.
- Involving children in their community fosters a sense of belonging to, and responsibility for that community and its members.
- Participating in community activities and enrichment programs outside of school and immediate family encourages children and their parents to feel more connected to individuals outside of their immediate social circles.
- Developing a sense of community in a large city requires effort.
- San Francisco is a big small town. Almost everyone is connected by
two degrees of separation, but parents still have a sense of isolation.
We believe that it is vital that San Francisco as a community recognize that their
interests are interconnected.
Co-Founder of GoKid.org and instrumental in the design and development of SFkids.org, Kim has two awesome elementary and middle school–aged sons who attend SF public schools. Kim was born in Oakland and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Anthropology from UC Berkeley. She was a member of the Civic Engagement Committee of The San Francisco Children and Families Commission. She has served on the PTA board at her children's school and is an active parent volunteer.
Co-Founder of GoKid.org and instrumental in the design and development of SFkids.org, Chris is the mother of two children in SF public middle and high schools. Chris has worked and volunteered with the YMCA for over 18 years, is a physical education educator/consultant with a local SFUSD school, and is a PTA board member. Chris is also an active parent advocate involved in many community organizations, including her School Site Council and Parents for Public Schools. She organized the first San Francisco Family Summer Resource Fair for DCYF in 2006.
Nina Thompson
GoKid's content editor is the doting mother of a two elementary school-aged children and was the local editor of the latest San Francisco edition of the Lilaguide, a geographically based parenting guide, prior to coming to work for GoKid. She has also done research and editing for Frommers San Francisco guide books and local cookbook author Viana LaPlace. Nina also works as an independent IT consultant for small businesses and individuals. She is our researcher for all the great content on the SFkids.org and other GoKid projects. Nina has lived in San Francisco for 23 years and knows the ins and outs of the City.
We have been fortunate to attract community leaders to our
board of directors. Our board has been willing to assist us in guiding
GoKid.org into a great website for San Francisco families and helping us advance our mission.
Amy Shelf
An attorney in private practice focusing on estates and trusts, Amy is also an artist and a mother of two. Amy and her husbsand are also the proud new owners of Four Star Video, a great local video store in Bernal Heights. Amy also serves on the board of directors of New Langton Arts. She lives in Bernal Heights and loves to walk on Bernal Hill or anywhere her feet can carry her in the City.
Deena Zacharin
A mom of a middle schooler, Deena brings a wealth of experience as the founding Executive Director of Parents for Public Schools SF, former attorney, and currently the Parent Relations Director at SFUSD. She is a community activist, PTA member, and loves listening to music.
Evan Hansen
A father of two that lives in the sunny Mission District, Evan is also the Editor-in-Chief of Wired News. He enjoys surfing and hanging on the beach with his kids.
Julie Hagelshaw
Mother of two middle school–aged children and a Bay Area native, Julie is active with her
children's school by serving on the PTA board and organizing community
gardening days. She is active on the Parents for Public School task forces,
neighborhood association board member, and a S.L.U.G. trainer in the community.
An active cyclist, you can find her off most weekends
cycling through the Bay Area.
Sharon Lepper
A middle school counselor at a San Francisco Unified School District school, Sharon is the proud mother of two elementary school–aged children. Sharon lends experience through her background in social work, former preschool and school age teacher as well as a former program director for agencies like Catholic Charities, YMCA, Campfire Boys and Girls and St. Vincent De Paul Salvation Army. She was also involved in the SF Homeless Education Council. She is a resident of the Sunnyside and enjoys camping as a way to get out of the fog. Sharon has been active in her children's schools, the PTA, as well as her local neighborhood groups.
Amy Penticoff
Mother of a fantastic daughter and original visionary, webdesigner, and webmaster of GoKid.org, Amy has left GoKid to pursue her love of chemistry and currently works in the biotech field.
Kim Boyd Bermingham (see above)
Chris Loughran (see above)