Founded in collaboration between CCRC and Hope the Mission, the Betty Bazaar Community Center and Preschool intends to provide comprehensive child care resources to residents at the neighboring The Woodlands Family Shelter. Featuring two HeadStart classrooms—accommodating up to a total of 25 children—the center also includes nutritional, dental, and vision services. Through this endeavor, CCRC can address the child care needs of families experiencing homelessness or shelter-insecurity.
As an estimated 5,000 Angelino children experience homelessness, this site seeks to provide much-needed relief to the Woodlands residents by guaranteeing them quality child care resources. The center marks a notable step forward for CCRC, as a project of this ambition is rare on even a national scale. In the words of Tameka Brown, CCRC Assistant Director of EarlyEducation Services in Early Care and Learning, “[a] lot of places are striving to do this, so we’re setting the standard for what [whole child and family care] should look like.”
Remarking on the potential of this site, Hope the Mission CEO Ken Craft had this to say at the center’s ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 7, 2025: “[If] we’re going to break the cycle of homelessness, it starts with the kids of our community.” Shelter residents and local officials also on stage that day shared similar sentiments of excitement and aspiration as the 400-bed shelter received an impressive accompaniment. Plans for site improvement and potential expansion were among the event’s other highlights.
As of September 2025, instruction at the Betty Bazaar Community Center and Preschool is underway. This site is the 15th Head Start/Early Head Start location operated by CCRC in the San Fernando Valley, embodying over half a century of service and commitment to the region. CCRC and Hope the Mission look to further their partnership with a similar venture at The Sierras Family Shelter in Lancaster, expanding upon both organizations’ presence in the Antelope Valley.
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