Ascension DePaul Services (formerly Daughters of Charity Services of San Antonio)
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
DCSSA works to provide holistic and integrated services to individuals and families living in San Antonio who are low-income and/or living in poverty.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
La Mision Family Healthcare Center
Ascension DePaul Services of San Antonio provides comprehensive family health and dental care to individuals and families living on the southside through its La Mision Family Healthcare Center
The services offered include: adult primary care, adolescent care, pediatric care, dental care, counseling, health education, social services, case management, and lab services. Patients are supported by an inter-disciplinary team (social workers, MDs, dentists, physician assistant/nurse practitioner, nurses, health educators, outreach workers) that together provide care with attention to the patient’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Medical and dental services are provided on a sliding scale fee for those who qualify.
Early Childhood Education
Ascension DePaul Services of San Antonio provides early childhood education to children annually from the ages of 6 weeks to 6 yrs, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. M-F at the DePaul Children’s Center, 3050 Golden Ave.
The program uses the Texas Early Education Model guidelines for skills development. Individualized plans for children are based on age-appropriate benchmarks, with special attention given to children affected by poverty, or developmental delays and other disabilities. Children also are provided with two hot meals and a snack daily. Parent participation is encouraged through regular parent-teacher check-ins, volunteer opportunities and parenting classes.
DePaul Children's Center has been certified as a Texas Rising Star 4-star provider for more than 15 years, and NAEYC certified for 20 years. This facility is the only nationally accredited, publicly accessible early education program south of downtown San Antonio offering sliding-scale fees.
Early Head Start and Head Start Program
Ascension DePaul Services of San Antonio provides Early Head Start and Head Start, an educationally-rich child development program for children ages 6wks to 5 yrs old. It is designed to provide educational advantage to low-income, and economically disadvantaged families living on the southside of San Antonio.
Open Monday - Friday, 7am - 3pm and located at 1418 Fitch, San Antonio, TX 78211. This program provides two meals and a snack each day. Its comprehensive services include behavioral health education and counseling. The center is NAEYC certified, and follows the Frog Street curriculum.
R.A.Y.S. (Realizing and Achieving Your Success)- A Parenting Program
Ascension DePaul Services of San Antonio provides full parenting support to parents and families with children pre-natal to 36 months old. Services including diapers, wipes, baby formula and clothes are available at no-cost. Parenting, safety, and nutrition classes are also available in person and virtually. Community Health Workers are available to provide comprehensive support and guidance to families and individuals seeking economic advancement and independence.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Affiliate/Chapter of National Organization (i.e. Girl Scouts of the USA, American Red Cross, etc.) - Affiliate/chapter 1958
External reviews

Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
ADSSA is working hard to break the cycle of poverty and reduce the number of multi-generational families we see visit us for services.
Faithful to the Vincentian tradition, Ascension DePaul Services (formerly Daughters of Charity Services of San Antonio) commits to serving all persons with special attention to those who are poor and vulnerable. Our organization is dedicated to spiritually-centered, holistic care which sustains and improves the health of individuals and communities. We are advocates for a compassionate and just society through our actions and words. All those needing care are welcome, and no one experiences discrimination for any reason.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We look at the social determinants of health to help individuals and families close gaps that help them provide for themselves. Untreated medical, dental, or mental health issues affect all aspects of life. We work to treat those issues. Early education is vital for lifelong success and we provide early education. Educating people on basic life skills, for example financial literacy, job search skills, stress management, and substance abuse are all areas that affect every part of life.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We operate a medical, dental, and counseling facility (La Mision Family Health Care) to meet the physical and emotional needs of the people we serve. We operate two child care centers in South San Antonio that are NAEYC accredited and Texas Rising Star-4 Star centers. One of them being a Head Start/Early Head Start Center. There are very few centers South of downtown San Antonio with these accreditations. Our DePaul Family Center allows ADSSA to meet the emergency needs of families by providing vital social services (food pantry, clothes closet, case management, etc.) and provides various education & exercise classes.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We are providing truly integrated services. Treating people using the social determinants of health is extremely complex and we are putting systems in place to ensure our clients are treated in all areas that affect their lives. Our parenting courses are growing, our medical/dental/behavioral health/social services outreach continues to grow, and our child care centers continue to be accredited and flexible to change with the needs of the community.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Ascension DePaul Services (formerly Daughters of Charity Services of San Antonio)
Board of directorsas of 10/10/2023
Mr. Joshua Nieto
UHS
Term: 2020 - 2026
Josh Nieto
UHS
Elisa Resendiz
KLRN
Christine S. Fernandez
Valero Energy Corporation
Donna Montemayor
H-E-B
Joe Pena
Frost
Sr. Rose Ann Aguilar
Daughters of Charity
Joe Pena
Frost Bank
Jonathan Turton
Community Member
Alison Cochrane
Catholic Community Foundation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/10/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.