Para Los Niños

In 2018-19, Para Los Niños implemented its new five-year strategic plan, supported by the WHH Foundation and Great Public Schools Now. The new strategic plan focuses on developing internal capacity in the areas of human capital development and data fluency, and guiding PLN’s work to accelerate improvement trajectory and position PLN to explore growth and deeper impact. As a result, PLN has updated its mission, vision and values. We envision thriving children and youth, excellent education, powerful families, and strong communities. Our core values are excellence, constant learning, teamwork, community, inclusion and trust. Para Los Niños’ organizational goals can be divided into four Program and four Systems goals, as follows:

Program/Outcome Goals
1. PLN children and youth are physically, socially and emotionally healthy.
2. PLN families and communities are engaged and empowered.
3. PLN children and youth are developmentally and academically successful, and ready for the future.
4. PLN leaders execute on an org-wide vision, implement aligned goals, and maintain a culture of compassion and excellence.

Systems/Input Goals
1. Leaders have what they need to lead effective, successful teams.
2. Staff have what they need to provide excellent services.
3. PLN is financially thriving.
4. PLN has a clear growth plan.

Para Los Niños (PLN) places education at the core of our mission to break the cycle of poverty. We operate seven Early Education Centers and three Charter Schools serving nearly 1,500 low-income children (ages six weeks to 14 years), and we prepare another 2,000 youth (ages 10-24) annually for success in post-secondary education and the workforce with a focus on drop-out recovery and prevention. As we also emphasize the importance of strong family and community relationships, we offer a range of support services and community engagement opportunities to our children, youth and families.

By addressing these factors of intellectual development and supportive environments, we build a strong foundation for children’s success in school and in life, and ultimately advance social and economic equity for the Latinx and other under-resourced communities of color we serve throughout Los Angeles.

Currently, PLN operates seven preschools and three charter schools serving 1,500 low-income children annually. Our youth workforce services program prepares 2,000 youth every year for success by focusing on dropout recovery and prevention and post-secondary education. Our comprehensive educational model incorporates three critical elements: high-quality education, family support, and parent/community engagement.

• In 2020, PLN was awarded the Los Angeles College Promise Works (LACP) grant to support 250 community college students at two Los Angeles Community College campuses. The LACP serves first-time college students with a comprehensive strategy designed to support scholars in completing a higher education degree or a workforce certification.

• 2020 marks Year 2 of PLN implementing an organization-wide Social Emotional Learning initiative across all three PLN charter schools, which build social and emotional skills and nurturing learning communities. With a grant from the Simpson PSB Fund, PLN was able to create sensory pathways in hallways throughout our two elementary schools, which will foster physical movement, touch, and other reactions linked to better focus, faster cognitive processing, more successful memory retention, and fewer behavioral issues.

• PLN successfully brought on a new Associate Director of External Affairs in November 2019 to spearhead Community Engagement Program efforts. The new Associate Director has led efforts in developing program strategies and partner relationships, such as tracking issues facing the communities we serve and interfacing with legislatures for the organization.

• In June 2019, due to our expertise, reputation and ties to the community, LACOE awarded PLN two new Early Head Start sites that will feed into our existing Head Start program in East Hollywood. This will increase the number of infants and toddlers we serve from 36 to 117 in program year 2019-20.

• On May 15, 2019, Para Los Niños hosted its 2019 Annual Benefit: Pathways to Success and raised more than $450,000 to continue providing support to our children and families.

• In September 2018, Para Los Niños was awarded $8M, over four years, by the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to be the lead agency for the Innovations 2 Community Resilience Initiative. The Initiative aims to address and reduce the impact of trauma among residents and school communities in 12 identified zip codes in Supervisorial District 1 surrounding downtown LA.

• In May 2018, First 5 LA awarded PLN $5.9M over two years to lead Best Start Region 1, one of five, two-tiered Regional Best Start strategies throughout LA County. Tier 1 includes: to regionally build organizational capacity, mobilize regional resources, develop shared learning networks and develop and participate in Regional advocacy. Tier 2 includes: to locally build resident and agency leadership, communication and outreach strategies, local resource mobilization and local advocacy, and develop community-led change strategies and interventions. Region 1 makes up the Best Start Communities of Metro LA (which we currently oversee), East LA, Southeast LA and El Monte/South El Monte.