California Children's Academy

California Children’s Academy, “Academy”, helps families become financially independent by providing affordable child care to low income families.

The Academy was founded in 1971 as a non-profit 501.c.3 agency for the purpose of providing child care services to meet the needs of the East/Northeast community of Los Angeles. In 1991 the Academy expanded its service area to include the San Fernando Valley. The Academy currently serves over 750 children per day in a total of 18 early education and care-centers located in:

Lincoln Heights , Boyle Heights,East Los Angeles, Pacoima, Maywood, North Hollywood, Panorama City, Canoga Park, the City of San Fernando

Services are available for infants, toddlers, and preschool age children and their families. The program offers:

• Care in a safe, healthy and nurturing environment.
• Age appropriate curriculum to meet the individual needs of each child.
• Early education readiness skills for successful transition to Kindergarten.
• Bi-lingual, multicultural experiences to foster acceptance of all children.
• Balanced meals and snacks providing up to 80% of each child's daily nutritional requirements to help children learn and develop at their optimal potential.
• Parent participation, education, resource and referrals to strengthen the family unit.

The Academy receives grants from the California Department of Education. Parent fees, assessed on a sliding fee scale, are used to serve additional children.

Family eligibility for subsidized child care services is determined by income, family size, age of child, and need for service. In keeping with the Agency's goal of providing family economic independence, parents must be:

• employed
• in a job-training program or

• · seeking employment for a maximum of 60 days.

Children with special needs or under Child Protective Services are also eligible and prioritized for the program. The program does not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnicity, ancestry, national origin, color or mental or physical disability