title: BANANAS: providing child care services to a multi-ethnic community.
abstract: BANANAS, Inc. is a nonprofit organization that has provided child care resource and referral services for over 35 years. BANANAS emerged as a grassroots effort initiated by a group of female volunteers who sought to build a network of women with children who needed childcare. As the organization developed, its leaders recognized and responded to additional needs, including resource and information sharing, workshops and classes, and political advocacy. Beginning as a collective, BANANAS has grown into a multifaceted service delivery and advocacy nonprofit operating with an annual budget of $12 million. This history of the agency reflects the development of a unique community-based effort, its challenges and rewards, and the multiple successes that this pioneering nonprofit has experienced.
authors.affiliation: Mack Center on Nonprofit Management in the Human Services, School of Social Welfare, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. cathy_vu@berkeley.edu
authors.forename: Catherine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vu
authors.forename: Sara L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Austin
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003256:Community Participation / Q000266:history / Q000379:methods; D003376:Counseling / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration; D003657:Decision Making; D005006:Ethnicity; D005376:Financial Management / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration; D006266:Health Education / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007990:Libraries; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit / Q000266:history / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016487:Parenting