Westside Children's Center Programs






Starting off in 1987 as a Foster Care agency, Westside Children's Center now offers three branches of service: Foster Care & Adoption, Family Support Services & Early Care Education. Regardless of how a child first comes to be served by WCC, all of our services are available. Last year we served over 3,397 children and their families.


1. Foster Care & Adoption:

  • Westside Children's Center recruits, trains and supervises foster families to care for foster children in their homes.
  • The Los Angeles Department of Children and Families (DCFS) refers us children removed from their homes because of abuse and neglect, who we place in WCC certified homes.
  • All of our children are closely monitored by our social workers who work with a maximum of 12 families; with an average of 1-2 children in a home.
  • WCC obtained our adoption license in 1998 to ensure a smooth transition for children leaving foster care, when reunification is not an option.
  • Due to new laws shortening the stay of children in foster care, our foster families adopt over half of our children.
  • Foster Care & Adoption is completely free to all families.
  • Contact Janel Stephenson at janels@westsidechildrens.org for more information.


2. Family Support Services:

  • Family Support Services (FSS) is designed to strengthen families in crisis before the problems become so severe that removal into the foster care system becomes necessary.
  • Our FSS staff is made up of a multi-disciplinary team of psychologists, social workers, child development specialists, case workers and registered nurses.
  • All FSS services are provided for free in the clients' homes in both Spanish & English.
  • In addition to serving its own clients, all FSS services are available to families served by Foster Care & Adoption, and Early Care & Education.
  • WCC is also the lead agency in a 15-member network providing Family Preservation Services on the Westside. Family Preservation sees families referred by DCFS when children are at risk of being removed or when children are being reunified after a removal.
  • Contact Family Support Services at westsidechildrens.org


3. Early Care & Education (subsidized child care):

  • One of the greatest needs facing the families of young children is the need for quality, affordable child care. Through our Early Care & Education program WCC supplies child care for over 280 children on a daily basis.
  • In order to qualify for the services the parents must be working or going to school and fall within the low income and poverty level income brackets.
  • Our Early Care & Education program is comprised of a family day care network and our brand new center based complex, which opened in February.
  • We serve children ages 3 weeks to 8 years old in a nurturing environment, which promotes school readiness and literacy.
  • Contact Veronica Cortez at veronicac@westsidechildrens.org