Programs
YWCA Greater Los Angeles:
Serving Today. Shaping Tomorrow.
We envision communities where women and girls can live, learn, and grow with joy and confidence. This requires a focus on the future while creating innovative solutions for today’s most pressing problems: poverty, unsafe living conditions, lack of reliable and affordable childcare, and under-/un-employment.
We meet our community members where they are most vulnerable and provide the compassion and services they need.
Together, a better future is possible.
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Child Development Program
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Youth Empowerment Services
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Senior Empowerment Services
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Survivor Empowerment Services
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Economic Empowerment Services
Child Development Program ↘
The shortage of affordable, quality childcare is worsening across the Los Angeles region. Our exceptional Child Development programs for low-income families allow children to flourish while empowering parents to pursue opportunities for growth through work, school, or vocational training.
YWCA Greater Los Angeles employs a holistic family approach to create empowered and educated individuals equipped for the challenges of today and tomorrow.
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Infant and Toddler Program
The program is offered at three locations. The Infant Learning Center serves teenage mothers.
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Preschool Program
The Preschool Program for children aged 3-5 utilizes the High Scope curriculum at all five centers.
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Child360 / Quality Start Los Angeles
All six sites participate with QSLA, a county-wide quality improvement system, and have been assessed as Tier 5 High-Quality Centers with high scores in staff qualifications, safety, and teacher-child interactions.
Youth Empowerment ↘
When schools are closed, work usually isn’t. Our Empowerment Centers offer a safe space for children to live, learn, and grow with engaging workshops and free summer lunches.
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Community Need
With competition for well-paying jobs on the rise in the Greater Los Angeles area, it is even more crucial that individuals are prepared with appropriate workplace skills. The Youth Services/Workforce Empowerment program provides a platform for children to build leadership skills and self-confidence.
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Empowerment Centers
Empowerment Centers provide K-12 youth with academic enrichment and Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) instruction after school in the Edison International Computer Lab.
Senior Empowerment↘
Aging increases the need for connection, wellness, and community. Our Senior Empowerment Programs provide welcoming spaces to stay active, engaged, and supported through enriching activities, wellness workshops, and social connections.
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Community Need
With the second-largest elderly population in the country, Los Angeles desperately needs comprehensive senior programs. Seniors in our communities increasingly face food insecurity and the threat of homelessness, and are heavily impacted by preventable diseases. Through community building and engagement, we assist our seniors in obtaining healthy lifestyles and meaningful connections.
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Senior Empowerment Centers
Our Senior Empowerment Centers are designed for seniors to have fun, enrich their lives, and nurture a sense of belonging. We celebrate healthy aging and offer a friendly and welcoming space. Mental stimulation, social engagement, fitness, education, and of course, life-changing relationships await!
Survivor Empowerment Services↘
Need Help Right Now? Our hotline is 24/7: 1-877-YHELPSU (943-5778)
YWCA Greater Los Angeles Survivor Empowerment Services provides wraparound support for survivors of sexual assault, rape, human sex trafficking, domestic violence, and all other forms of sexual violence.
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Community Need
Even though these crimes are underreported, it is estimated that 1 in 4 women has been victimized by sexual violence. The supportive services offered by YWCA Greater Los Angeles at three community rape crisis centers and through a satellite office at California State University, Long Beach, are crucial to the health of the community.
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Crisis Intervention
Our Survivor Empowerment Services provide comprehensive crisis intervention 24 hours a day to survivors of sexual violence to help them access medical care and forensic medical exams and, if they choose, to file reports with the criminal and civil justice systems.
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Continuing Support
We provide ongoing emotional support through accompaniment, advocacy, case management, and counseling for survivors to recover from and cope with their traumatic experiences. Responding to the needs of underserved communities impacted by sexual violence has been a priority of YWCA Greater Los Angeles for 36 years.
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In Person and Online
In March 2020, SES integrated virtual services, offering online sexual assault classes, workshops, certification training, and human trafficking seminars led by staff members and advocates.
Economic Empowerment↘
In response to community need, YWCA Greater Los Angeles’ Economic Empowerment services offer innovative programs for helping women and their families achieve economic security through workforce development and financial empowerment. Current programs include the YW Tech Lab, Early Childhood Credential programs, and the YW Digital Literacy Curriculum that are responsive to gender-based violence survivors as well as parents and caregivers of young children.
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Community Need
Economic justice begins with education. Knowledge can shift the balance of power in households, workplaces, and communities, disrupting traditional gender roles and diminishing the control that enables abuse. Those with increased financial resources have greater agency, allowing them to challenge norms that condone violence as a means of control. While economic empowerment won’t eliminate abuse or absolve perpetrators, it will shift societal expectations.
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Economic Education
We foster equity by assisting those furthest from opportunity. By leveraging the unique strengths of job seekers, we help them to access quality employment opportunities that open doors to economic advancement. Our educational offerings are supplemented by the comprehensive services we also offer to those in need.
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Career Development Centers
Serving as a gateway to the workforce system in Los Angeles, our Career Development Centers offer an array of free job search resources: job postings, computers and other technology, job search workshops, personalized resume and cover letter assistance, career counseling, peer-supported job clubs, technology training, and opportunities to network with potential employers at hiring events and job fairs. Some locations also offer on-site vocational training, financial literacy education, one-on-one financial coaching, community banking services, and ABE, ESL, and GED instruction.
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