El Nido Programs

Since its inception in 1925, El Nido Family Centers has been providing critical services to the children, youth and families of Los Angeles. Our professional staff offers innovative programs and services to meet the changing needs of a culturally diverse population including Parent Education & Family Development, Child Abuse Prevention & Treatment, Teen Parent Family Services, and Youth Development. El Nido provides services at schools, community locations and the home, focusing its efforts in several core program areas:

Child Abuse Prevention, Intervention & Treatment

Abused, neglected and at-risk children are referred by the Department of Children and Family Services to El Nido for comprehensive services. Some of these children are in foster care; others remain with their families under the supervision of child protective services workers. El Nido’s Master’s-level professionals partner with families to build upon their existing strengths, enhancing family functioning and treating underlying trauma. Read more about El Nido’s child abuse prevention and treatment programs here….

FamilySource Centers

The FamilySource Centers are a One Stop Resource with locations across the City of Los Angeles. The centers offer services to low-income families and families with young children. El Nido is honored to lead the FSC efforts in Pacoima and South Los Angeles, and partner in this collaborative project with some of the best organizations in the city.

Collectively, we have created true neighborhood centers, offering services including; counseling, parent education, employment assistance, legal aid, financial literacy, adult education, tutoring/homework assistance, recreational and cultural activities, youth leadership development, and community events. El Nido’s FamilySource Center (FSC) in Pacoima has been designated as one of the best performing in the City.

Business And Tech Academies

With major funding from the W.M. Keck Foundation, El Nido has created the South Los Angeles Tech Academy, and a Business Academy at our Pacoima FamilySource Center. The Academies emphasize the knowledge and skills youth need to work beyond entry level jobs, learn about occupations they may not have previously considered, and give them educational and vocational aspirations that will lift them from poverty.

The South Los Angeles Tech Academy familiarizes high-school youth with the technology industry through hands-on programming instruction, industry guest speakers and trips to tech businesses.

El Nido’s Business Academy offers career development to students in independent study school programs. Students learn about running a business and entrepreneurship, product development and business planning.

Building Stronger Families

The Building Stronger Families program is based on the premise that families are central to ensuring that children are healthy, safe and prepared for school. Families thrive in the context of communities that provide them with support, services and opportunities to connect with one another. The activities of Building Stronger Families are sensitive to the skills of the young parents and provide customized support to each parent. Parent Circles, mentors for young parents, advocacy training, and community-based research are provided through this grant and are parent-led and parent-driven.

El Nido’s implementation of the the Building Stronger Families program in Compton focuses on children ages 0-5, the formative years during which long-term development is greatly impacted. El Nido’s trained staff will provide Compton-East Compton children with the best start in life, ensuring they are healthy, are safe from abuse and neglect, and are ready to succeed in school and life.

Welcome Baby

Welcome Baby is a free program that benefits all women regardless of income, risk or potential challenges funded by First 5 LA. The program— offered at no cost to providers and hospitals— includes trained professionals who work with patients on site at the hospitals and in their homes. Registered Nurses and Parent Coaches provide individual support and information on topics like bonding and attachment, breastfeeding and home safety. Find out more about the Welcome Baby program here…

Early HeadStart

In El Nido’s local implementation of this national model, a team of child development and health specialists works with economically disadvantaged parents of children age 3 and under. Center and home-based services engage parents and babies in activities that promote motor, language, conceptual, and cognitive skills, while empowering parents as their children’s first teachers to prepare them for school success. Offered in Inglewood and South Los Angeles.

Gang Reduction & Youth Development

The Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program (GRYD) is funded through the Office of the Mayor, City of Los Angeles. Program goals are to reduce gang participation by identifying youth (10–15) who are at high risk for joining gangs. GRYD provides comprehensive assessment, counseling, psychosocial education and case management to address underlying risk factors. A key strategy is to link youth and families with a broad range of services, engaging them in constructive activities, connecting them with positive social supports and empowering them as agents of change.

Harold Cares About Your Future

Harold Cares About Your Future is a job preparation program that provides teen mothers and fathers with knowledge of the world of work, vocational skills and opportunities. Funded by the Harold Edelstein Foundation This 13-week program covers topics including; money management, career and goal exploration, resume writing, job interviewing techniques, labor law and job retention, plus basic life skills including financial literacy, stress management and pregnancy prevention.

Select Home Visitation

The Select Home Visitation program, funded by First 5 LA, partners families with a Parent Educator that will develop a plan to address their family’s needs. Visits are designed to build the protective factors and reduce risk factors. The Parent Educators use an evidence based early childhood home visiting model called Parents as Teachers (PAT). PAT was developed to build strong communities, healthy families and children that are healthy safe and ready to learn. Model-Certified Parent Educators emphasize parent-child interaction, development-centered parenting, and family well-being as they deliver services to families. The PAT program is designed to increase: the parents’ knowledge of their child’s health and development, school readiness and parent involvement; improve: parenting practices, parent-child relationships, child health and development and family health ; and prevent: child abuse and neglect.

Teen Family Services

Consisting of Cal-Learn and the Adolescent Family Life Program, through home visits, trained case managers reach out to teen parents who are isolated, overwhelmed and unprepared for the challenges of parenting. They assess the unique needs of each teen parent and baby, and link them with services that help both to thrive, including health care, counseling, educational assistance, vocational training, housing, nutritional and/or income support.

El Nido Family Centers Program Updates

Updates, announcements and info about El Nido's programs serving the children, youth and families of Los Angeles

In-N-Out Burger Foundation Gives Back to Our Community

April 23, 2018ByLaura ZInDonors, Info, Program

Since 1984, the In-N-Out Burger Foundation has been helping abused and neglected children as their way of giving back to the communities where they live and do business. For almost 20 years, they have been a steadfast supporter of El Nido’s efforts to prevent and treat child abuse and neglect in some of the most under-served communities of Los Angeles...

El Nido’s Healthy Families Fair Focuses on Strengthening Families

April 9, 2018ByLaura ZInProgram

El Nido Family Centers held a Healthy Families Fair as a kick off to April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month on Saturday, March 31, 2018 at their Manchester Avenue location in Los Angeles. El Nido families attended this special event which focused on preventing child abuse and neglect. Parents were provided information on effective parenting skills and children were engaged in...

GRYD photography students at the aquarium

Women Helping Youth a Picture of Success

April 2, 2018ByLaura ZInDonors, Info, Program

Since 2011, professional photographer and dedicated volunteer Richard Doran has led youth photography classes at our Pacoima FamilySource Center for students in our Gang Reduction and Youth Development program. In that time the course has evolved from a basic lesson in techniques into an enriching experience that inspires students to imagine and plan for a promising future. Sharing the same...

El Nido’s Pacoima FamilySource Center

February 14, 2018ByLaura ZInDonors, Featured, Program

The FamilySource Centers (FSC) are collaborative one-stop community centers designed to assist low-income residents in the City of Los Angeles to become self-sufficient by increasing family income and academic achievement for youth and adults. FSCs offer services including; counseling, parent education, employment assistance, legal aid, financial literacy classes, adult education, tutoring & homework help, benefits screening, recreational & cultural activities,...

el nido child abuse prevention client thank you drawing

El Nido’s Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Programs

February 13, 2018ByLaura ZInFeatured, Program

El Nido’s child abuse prevention and treatment programs provide comprehensive, even life-saving services to children and their family members. Our program goals are to reduce the symptoms of child abuse, the incidence of repeat abuse, or to prevent the likelihood of abuse. Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Given the stress families are experiencing, the need for El Nido’s services is...

El Nido Culinary Skills Training Kitchen Nearing Completion

February 1, 2018ByLaura ZInFeatured, Program

We are excited to announce that El Nido Family Centers is nearing completion on the construction phase of its culinary skills training kitchen located at our FamilySource Center in Pacoima. The kitchen will provide a multitude of enriching opportunities for vulnerable and at-risk youth and parents, and we are reaching out to you in hopes that you can help us...

Music Industry Luminary Don Grierson a Guest Speaker at El Nido Business Academy

January 30, 2018ByLaura ZInFeatured, Program

Don Grierson recently took time out of his busy schedule to teach a special class on entrepreneurship at El Nido’s Business Academy. Mr. Grierson, a legendary, internationally acclaimed music executive who signed or helped guide many music super stars, now operates his own music industry consulting company. He shared his expertise in business, marketing and strategies with our group of...

Harold Edelstein Foundation Brightens the Futures of El Nido Clients

January 11, 2018ByLaura ZInDonors, Featured, Program

For over ten years, the Harold Edelstein Foundation has funded the Harold Cares About Your Future program for El Nido teen clients. The program teaches participants about goal-setting, family planning, money management, resume creation, employee rights, job applications, job interview preparation, winning work attitude and habits, and practices mock job interviews. Our Fall Session group had their graduation on Friday,...

Thank You To All Our Holiday Donors and Volunteers

December 30, 2017ByLaura ZInDonors, Events, Program

We thank the generous businesses and individual donors, and the many dedicated volunteers and staff who helped make the holidays merry for our clients across Los Angeles: Empower Generations * Gibson Dunn * Los Angeles Trial Lawyers’ Charities Morningside Community Clinic * Navidad En El Barrio * The Salvation Army Toys for Tots * Wells Fargo Bank You have brightened...