San Diego Preschools

Business Magazine Ranks MAOF Near Top of Non-Profit Groups

By EGP News Report

A local non-profit group that provides childcare and other services has been named a top performer in an annual ranking of non-profit organizations.

The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation ranked No. 2 in Hispanic Business Magazine’s 2011 Top 25 listing of non-profit organizations, MAOF has announced.

With revenues of just under $81 million, MAOF serves more than 115,000 people annually through a variety of programs.

“Its child care program for migrant farm workers is its most praised and utilized service,” the magazine reported.

In April, MAOF’s newest preschool, The Cesar Chavez Preschool, MAOF’s newest preschool opened last April. The program cares for 176 children from Delano’s migrant and low-income families.

MAOF President and CEO Martin Castro said his organization is helping to build a “new Latino middle-class,” something he says is important to the country as a whole, and not just Latinos.

“This is the workforce of the future,” says Castro who points out that it’s not just preschoolers who receive services from MAOF. The non-profit also offers services to seniors, such as home repairs and assistance with Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Youth and young adults also benefit from MAOF services, which include a variety of skill-building opportunities to get them ready to join the workforce— programs like the after-school Computer Clubhouse opened earlier this year in the city of Walnut.

MAOF also hosts an annual Hispanic Women’s Conference, now in its 35th year, where women can network and learn about professional development.

“We are dedicated to keeping alive the vision of Dionicio Morales who founded the organization in 1963,” Castro said. “And the vision is to provide urgently needed social services to underserved communities.

Of the more than 100,000 Californians served annually by MAOF, 95 percent are in the low- to moderate-income level. MAOF has more than 40 service locations in seven California counties, including Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino, San Diego, Kern, and Monterey.

For more information on MAOF and its services, go to www.maof.org.

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