Construction of a new 20,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art community facility in Watts for the Children’s Institute is expected to begin in January 2020 and be completed in July 2021.

The new facility provides holistic, integrated services for at-risk children, youth and families. It is expected to serve approximately 2,000 low-income individuals annually, with programs and services focused on mental health, early care and education, youth development, and family support services. The project also includes renovation of two existing buildings on the property, providing community meeting space and leasable space for nonprofits and community serving businesses. A portion of the space is leased to a tenant that provides affordable, fresh, healthy foods in an area considered to be a USDA Food Desert.

CII is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation founded in 1906. It is one of the country’s largest children’s services organizations, serving more than 28,000 children and families a year in some of Los Angeles’s most challenged communities. The CII model blends evidence-based clinical services to address trauma; youth development programs to enable children and youth to develop skills and self-esteem; early childhood programs which provide critical early intervention; and family support services to build on family strengths and promote stability.