Our History
Lifting Families Since 1925
Believing that “a child cannot grow up twice,” El Nido was founded in 1925 by the National Council of Jewish Women to provide meals and respite care to undernourished and neglected girls in Los Angeles.
In the 1950s, El Nido expanded to operate three lodges, and offered guidance for abused, abandoned, and runaway girls. By 1979, El Nido Family Centers became formally independent and had grown to include social services for both boys and girls. As the incidence of child abuse, school failure, youth crime, and teen pregnancy increased, El Nido’s focus evolved to community-based prevention and early intervention.
Throughout its history, El Nido has been a pioneer. It was the first or a leading local agency, to employ multicultural professionals from its target communities, deliver counseling and parent education in non-traditional settings like schools, inner-city churches, and housing projects, and offer home or school-based group services for pregnant and parenting teens.
Today, El Nido continues to build healthy families by providing community-based social services in some of the most underserved communities in Los Angeles County including; Pacoima and surrounding communities, South Los Angeles, Compton, and the Antelope Valley.
Our History
1925
1
Founded in 1925 by the local chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women, its first endeavor was a camp in Laurel Canyon for "underprivileged and pre-tubercular girls."
1940s
2
El Nido's camp in Laurel Canyon became a temporary refugee center for young immigrant single mothers and widows with children escaping World War II to help them adapt to life in the United States.
1950s-1970s
3
El Nido shifted its focus to social services for “disadvantaged adolescent girls” and began providing these services to LA’s increasingly diverse communities. El Nido operated three residential lodges for girls facing trauma, family instability, or court involvement. Each lodge provided on-site schooling, emotional support, and a nurturing housemother.
1979
4
El Nido became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, closing its lodges to pioneer a new model of community-based counseling and outreach, meeting families where they were—in homes, schools, churches, and community centers.
1980s
5
Partnered with LAUSD to launch one of the first school-based counseling programs, and collaborated with the USC School of Social Work to offer innovative group and one-on-one counseling in high-need communities. We also partnered with inner-city churches in South LA to offer stigma free mental health and parenting services.
1992
6
In response to the civil unrest of that year, El Nido launched its Scholarship Program, awarding more than 690 scholarships to date to help young people pursue higher education.
1995-2020
7
Grew into California’s largest provider of teen services, expanding programs in parenting education, pregnancy prevention, child abuse prevention, delinquency diversion, and vocational guidance.
2001
8
Launched our Early Head Start program in South LA, serving children from birth to age three and their parents.
2008-2016
5
12
Expanded into gang prevention with our Gang Reduction & Youth Development (GRYD) program, and opened two FamilySource Centers (FSC), in Pacoima (2008) and South LA (2016).
2010
13
Established the El Nido Alumni Association to connect current students and graduates, most of whom are first-gen students, with ongoing resources and mentorship.
2019-2023
9
Strengthened housing and mental health services and, in 2023, launched Pacoima’s first certified farmers market.
2025
10
El Nido celebrated a century of being a critical service provider in Los Angeles.
Today
11
El Nido Family Centers operates over a dozen programs across six sites in Los Angeles, powered by a team of more than 150 skilled professionals. In the past year alone, we served over 12,000 individuals, improving the health and well-being of youth and families with dignity, compassion, and care.