Mission
KidWorks ushers hope into Orange County’s most challenging neighborhoods through life changing leadership development and academic enrichment programs while also fortifying families by engaging and supporting parents. KidWorks, founded in 1993 by Pastor Larry and Jayme Acosta, began in a tiny, one-room apartment on Townsend Street as a summer safe haven for children and youth. From the beginning, KidWorks recruited college students to live and work in the community. Our Executive Director, David Benavides, was one of the first students to volunteer. His time with KidWorks began with an eight-week program that changed his life, and ours, forever. Since 1993, KidWorks has grown into a vibrant community development non-profit that serves central Santa Ana students and families through a fully licensed preschool, after-school programs, tutoring, mentoring, and adult services in the areas of health, parenting classes, and support groups.