Children's Home Society of California

What Children's Home Society of California does

Children's Home Society of California (CHS) is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit founded in 1891 that helps California families find and pay for child care and supports the child care provider community. Headquartered at 1300 West Fourth Street in Los Angeles, CHS operates six regional offices across Long Beach, Orange, Oxnard, San Diego, Woodland, and Yuba City, plus a statewide toll-free hotline (888-CHS-4KIDS) and county-level Resource and Referral (R&R) hotlines. Core programs include the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) administering CDSS-funded Alternative Payment, CalWORKs, and Family Child Care Home Education Network (FCCHEN) subsidies; the R&R program providing free referrals to licensed providers; the Family Education Program producing 23+ multilingual brochures, podcasts, and workshop content; the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children; and the Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) recruiting and training home-based providers. Ancillary services include Post Adoption Program (handling 862 inquiries in the most recent reported year), TrustLine background-check registry navigation, and multilingual family education materials.

The technology platform is centered on two third-party-built web/mobile portals: MyCareConnect (family-facing document submission) and CareConnect (provider-facing attendance and payment management), both built on the CareCloud stack. Online county-specific referral databases allow families to self-search licensed providers. Payment processing relies on Stripe (family fees) and PayPal (donations). There is no disclosed API, AI/ML capability, or proprietary data pipeline. Architecture is operationally appropriate for a mid-sized county-administered R&R franchise but not differentiated beyond basic digitization.

Revenue mechanics center on three streams: government contracts with the California Department of Social Services to administer subsidized child care programs (largest stream, contracted at the county level), income-based monthly family fees calculated on certified hours of need rather than actual usage (collected in advance by the 1st of each month, with repayment plans for late/missed payments), and donations processed online and offline. Pricing is publicly disclosed for family fees with income thresholds ranging from $6,860/month for a 1-2 person household to $11,906/month for a 6-person household. Revenue totals are not publicly disclosed. Customer segments are two-sided: families seeking affordable licensed care and child care providers seeking subsidy-program participation support.

Name

Children's Home Society of California

Legal name

Children's Home Society of California

Website

https://chs-ca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Children's Home Society of California is a 1891-founded nonprofit that administers California Department of Social Services subsidized child care programs and free Resource and Referral services across six counties, supporting families seeking affordable care and licensed child care providers through regional offices and digital portals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Child Care and Family Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (62441), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Child Welfare, Foster Care & Adoption Services (BPAGAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parent’s Helper (Non-Infant) & Child Supervision (HSAAAGAA), Preschool-Age Home Daycare (3–5 years) (EDACAEAE)

Keywords

• Subsidized child care
• Child care referral
• Family support services
• Post-adoption services
• Child care provider support

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government-Funded Subsidy Programs: CHS administers subsidized child care programs funded by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), including the Alternative Payment Program, CalWORKs, and Family Child Care Home Education Network (FCCHEN). Revenue comes from government contracts to administer child care subsidies for eligible families.
2. Family Fees: Monthly family fees are charged based on income and family size. Families certified for care pay monthly fees determined by their certified need for care, not actual usage. Fees are paid in advance by the 1st of each month.
3. Donations: CHS accepts donations through their website to support programs and services for children and families.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Children's Home Society of California is a nonprofit organization that administers government-funded subsidized child care programs (Child Care Payment Program, CalWORKs, FCCHEN), provides free child care referrals to licensed providers through its Resource & Referral Program, delivers training and resources to child care providers, and offers post-adoption services to adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive families across California.

Product overview

Children's Home Society of California operates a multi-service nonprofit offering early learning and child care support programs across California. The portfolio includes the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) providing subsidized child care, the Resource and Referral (R&R) Program for child care referrals, the Family Child Care Home Education Network (FCCHEN), the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children, and the Family Education Program (FEP) offering educational materials. Two complementary digital portals—MyCareConnect for families and CareConnect for providers—enable document submission and attendance tracking. The Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) recruits and supports child care providers, while the Post Adoption Program honors the organization's historical role in adoption. Programs are delivered through regional offices in Long Beach, Orange, Oxnard, San Diego, Woodland, and Yuba City.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) Subsidized child care services program providing free or low-cost child care to eligible families through Alternative Payment, CalWORKs, and FCCHEN programs. Targeted at income-eligible California families.
• Resource and Referral (R&R) Program Provides free referrals to licensed child care providers across six California counties, along with educational brochures and a lending library of educational resources for families and providers.
• Family Child Care Home Education Network (FCCHEN) Program supporting family child care homes with education, training, and resources for licensed child care providers participating in the subsidy network.
• Emergency Child Care Bridge Program for Foster Children Program providing emergency child care and support services for foster children and their caregivers, addressing urgent child care needs in the foster care system.
• Family Education Program (FEP) Educational program offering 23 free multilingual brochures, learning materials, podcasts, and activity guides for parents, child care providers, and partner agencies; also distributes materials through an online store.
• Child Care Initiative Project (CCIP) Program that recruits new home-based child care providers and supports existing providers through free training, resources, and community connections, expanding the licensed provider network across California.
• Post Adoption Program Post-adoption services for CHS adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive parents, including reunion services and mutual consent registration; received 862 inquiries last year.
• MyCareConnect Family-facing web portal and mobile app that allows families to access, complete, and submit Child Care Payment Program documents online via computer or mobile device.
• CareConnect Provider-facing web portal and mobile app for CCPP-participating child care providers to view authorized care, submit digital attendance sheets, check payment status, and access provider resources.
• TrustLine Services Access to California's TrustLine registry of individuals who have cleared criminal background checks, for parents considering license-exempt child care providers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free child care referrals to licensed providers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• California Resource and Referral NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHS participates in the California R&R Network, a statewide system of child care resource and referral agencies that help families find child care and support providers.
• Child Care Aware of AmericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization providing referrals to families seeking child care outside of California. CHS directs families outside their service areas to this organization.
• California Department of Social Services (CDSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHS administers government-funded child care subsidy programs under contract with CDSS, including Alternative Payment Program, CalWORKs, and FCCHEN.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Child Care Resource Center (CCRC): Direct peer: a California R&R and Alternative Payment agency administering CDSS child care subsidy contracts (including CalWORKs and FCCHEN) across LA County, with the same family-facing referral/provider-support model as CHS.
• CocoKids (Contra Costa Child Care Council): Direct peer: a California-based child care resource & referral and Alternative Payment agency operating under CDSS contracts with CHS-comparable service mix (referrals, provider training, subsidy administration).
• Bananas Inc. Direct peer: a Bay Area child care R&R organization offering family referrals, child care provider training, and subsidy administration under California's CDSS-funded programs, operating in an adjacent California geography.
• Pathways LA (formerly Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles): Direct peer: an LA County-based nonprofit administering California child care subsidy programs and provider support services, overlapping CHS's Greater Long Beach/LA County footprint.
• Choices for Children: Direct peer: a Santa Cruz County nonprofit child care R&R and Alternative Payment agency providing subsidized child care payment administration and family referrals under CDSS contracts.
• Community Resources for Child Care: Direct peer: a Santa Clara County-based child care resource & referral and AP agency with the same nonprofit model of family referrals, provider training, and CDSS-funded subsidy administration.
• 4Cs of Sonoma County: Direct peer: a Sonoma County nonprofit child care resource & referral and Alternative Payment agency providing subsidized child care administration, R&R services, and provider support comparable to CHS's offerings.
• Child Development Resources (Ventura County): Direct peer: a Ventura County nonprofit administering California child care subsidy programs and provider support, overlapping CHS's Oxnard/Ventura County office footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Child Care Aware of America: Broad incumbent: the national coordinating body for child care resource & referral agencies; CHS already maintains a referral relationship with it for families seeking care outside California, making it both a system partner and an umbrella industry presence.
• YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles: Broad incumbent: a large California-based nonprofit operating licensed child care centers and family programming across LA County, competing indirectly for the same California families CHS serves through referrals and subsidies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/childrens-home-society-of-california

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Children's Home Society of California