Pernet Family Health Service

What Pernet Family Health Service does

Pernet Family Health Service, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization headquartered at 237 Millbury Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, serving families and children across Worcester and Central Massachusetts. Founded in 1955 by the Little Sisters of the Assumption and incorporated in 1968 (named after Father Etienne Pernet of the founding religious order), the organization operates eight integrated programs: Early Intervention, Emergency Assistance, Maternal & Child Nursing, Fourth Trimester Screening, Youth Program, Parent Aide Program, Fathers & Family Program, and Webster Square Day Care Center. Together these programs serve more than 12,500 people annually, including 258 children in Early Intervention, 120 children daily at the day care center, 143 families through Parent Aide, and 101 infants through the Maternal & Nursing program, with the food pantry distributing over 200,000 pounds of food and 3,000+ boxes of diapers annually.

The organization's business model is donation-funded: all programs are delivered free of charge to eligible families, with revenue generated entirely through charitable donations (individuals, corporations, foundations), planned giving vehicles (Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, bequests, retirement designations), tribute gifts, and Amazon Smile referrals. No pricing model exists and no revenue figures are publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market approach is community-led, relying on word-of-mouth referrals, community advocacy, and direct engagement across Worcester and Central Massachusetts; programs are delivered physically through its Worcester headquarters and partner sites rather than through software or technology products.

The organization is led by Executive Director Sheilah Dooley, RN, BSN, MS, supported by an Associate Executive Director and a team of directors covering Family Support Services, Early Intervention, Family Child Care, and Monitoring/Evaluation/Learning, along with program staff including service coordinators, parent aides, nurses, and teachers. There are no disclosed technology platforms, APIs, integrations, or AI capabilities; the core deliverable is human-mediated social services. In 2023 Pernet merged with Webster Square Day Care Center (founded 1968), which now operates as a wholly retained program of Pernet and serves as the organization's most significant recent scale event.

Name

Pernet Family Health Service

Legal name

Pernet Family Health Service, Inc.

Website

https://pernetfamilyhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pernet Family Health Service is a Worcester, Massachusetts-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating eight integrated family support programs—including early intervention, maternal and child nursing, emergency food assistance, and day care—serving over 12,500 people annually in Worcester and Central Massachusetts, funded entirely through charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Other Individual and Family Services (62419), Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (62441), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Food Services (62421)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal, Child & Family Health Organizations (BPAGACAF)

Keywords

• Family support services
• Early childhood intervention
• Maternal and child health
• Community social services
• Nonprofit family programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Worcester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (Tax ID #04-2453851), Pernet Family Health Service generates revenue primarily through charitable donations from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Donations are tax-deductible and support the organization's family support programs.
2. Planned Giving: The organization accepts various planned giving vehicles including Charitable Gift Annuities, Charitable Remainder Trusts, Charitable Lead Trusts, bequests, and retirement plan designations. These provide donors with income streams while supporting the organization's long-term financial sustainability.
3. Gifts in Honor or Memory: Tribute gifts made in honor or memory of family members, teachers, or friends serve as another donation stream.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pernet Family Health Service is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit social services organization that delivers a coordinated portfolio of family support programs to families and children in Worcester and Central Massachusetts. Core offerings include Early Intervention, Maternal & Child Nursing (including Fourth Trimester Screening), Emergency Assistance/Food Pantry, Youth Programs, Parent Aide Program, Fathers & Family Program, and Webster Square Day Care Center. Programs are provided free of charge to eligible families and funded entirely through charitable donations, grants, and planned giving.

Product overview

Pernet Family Health Service is a nonprofit social services organization offering a coordinated portfolio of family support programs. The organization operates as a unified service provider offering eight distinct programs: Early Intervention for child development, Emergency Assistance for crisis support, Maternal & Child Nursing Program for postpartum care, Fourth Trimester Screening Program for new mothers, Youth Programs for child development, Parent Aide Program for family support, Fathers & Family Program for paternal engagement, and Webster Square Day Care Center for early education and child care. Together, these programs serve over 12,500 people annually in Worcester and Central Massachusetts, addressing the full spectrum of family needs from infancy through youth development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Early Intervention

Quantifiable outcome

• 258 children served with Early Intervention program annually
• +5 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Webster Square Day Care CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, Pernet merged with Webster Square Day Care Center, which was founded in 1968 and operated both center-based and family day care components. The merger doubled the size of Pernet and provides high-quality day care and early education to 120 children daily. Webster Square Day Care Center now operates as a program of Pernet Family Health Service.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Bethany Christian Services: National nonprofit providing family services including adoption, foster care, refugee services, and pregnancy support. Broadly comparable to Pernet's full family-services portfolio at national scale, with overlapping programs in maternal and child support.
• Children's Home Society of California: Regional nonprofit providing adoption, foster care, and family support services. Comparable to Pernet's family-stabilization, child-welfare-adjacent, and parenting-support programs in service mix and nonprofit structure.
• Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA): National network of nonprofit home health and visiting nurse agencies. Broadly comparable to Pernet's home health certification, maternal-child nursing, and community-based clinical service delivery model, but at national scale.

Direct peers

• Parents as Teachers National Center: National nonprofit providing parent education and early childhood home-visiting services. Closely comparable to Pernet's Parent Aide Program and Early Intervention program in target population and family-engagement model.
• Nurse-Family Partnership: National nonprofit operating nurse home-visiting programs for low-income first-time mothers. Directly comparable to Pernet's Maternal & Child Nursing Program and Fourth Trimester Screening services in model, target population, and clinical content.
• Ascentria Care Alliance: Massachusetts-based social services nonprofit providing family stabilization, refugee resettlement, and child services. Comparable as a multi-program family-support nonprofit operating in the same regional geography with similar program mix.
• Catholic Charities Worcester County: Faith-affiliated nonprofit social services agency serving Worcester County with family support, food assistance, and case management. Direct comparable given similar service portfolio and Catholic heritage overlapping with Pernet's Little Sisters of the Assumption origins.
• Family Services of Central Massachusetts: Regional nonprofit serving Worcester County with family counseling, youth programs, and community-based social services. Directly comparable as a Worcester-based family-services nonprofit competing for the same donor and grant base.

Regional players

• Worcester County Food Bank: Regional hunger-relief organization distributing food across Central Massachusetts. Comparable to Pernet's food pantry operations (200,000+ lbs annually) in mission and supply-chain overlap, though at much larger scale.
• Boys & Girls Club of Worcester: Worcester-based youth development nonprofit serving children and teens. Comparable to Pernet's Youth Program in target population and youth-development mission, though focuses on older children.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCc4X7lxpNC5YOYA6vAko9zA
• Facebookfacebook.com/pernetfhs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pernet-family-health-services
• Xx.com/pernetfhs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pernet Family Health Service