Children Today was founded in 1997 by two working mothers in Long Beach, California, after one of them saw a toddler wandering alone down a busy street, wearing only a diaper, his parents nowhere to be seen. It was this haunting image of homelessness – as well as its often overlooked impact on children – that inspired the creation of Children Today. In 2000, co-founders Theresa Bixby and Jennifer
Fitzgerald, along with the board of directors, opened the Play House West - a free, licensed, comprehensive child development and day care center for children experiencing homelessness from six weeks to six years of age. In 2008, Children Today expanded by opening The Play House North, a second child development and day care center serving children experiencing homelessness in north Long Beach. Children Today is an advocate for the needs of children in a system that typically sees homelessness as a problem only affecting adults. The goal of Children Today is simple – to increase the safety, stability and confidence of children facing homelessness and provide quality early care and education programs absolutely free of charge. Since our inception, the combined impact of the Play House West and Play House North has reached over 800 families in Long Beach.
