Arizona’s Children Association was founded in 1912, as Arizona Children's Home, by a group of community leaders in Tucson, to care for the state’s children looking for permanent homes.  To meet the changing needs of the children, Arizona Children‘s Home developed services that extended beyond the residential program in Tucson, and well beyond Tucson itself.

We began establishing local advisory groups in 1915 with the following cities on record as initial supporters: Globe, Patagonia, Pima City, Safford, Solomon, Thatcher, Prescott, Yuma, and Nogales.   By the year 1918, fifty cities across Arizona made at least one financial contribution to AzCA (either a donation or payment for child placed here).

To reflect the changing needs of children served, Arizona Children’s Home changed its name to Arizona's Children Association in 1997.  Today, Arizona’s Children Association is one of the largest and oldest child welfare and behavioral health non-profit agencies in Arizona. Offering more than 40 individual programs, Arizona’s Children Association positively affects the lives of some 46,000 Arizonans each year.

Click here to view our pocket history of our foundational years.

Click here to view the entire eight-page booklet PDF outlining our history or view individual pages below.

The History of Arizona's Children Association in Pictures:

A 100-Year Celebration of Our First Century of Hope!

  1912-1925

1926-1937  

  1940s-1960s

1960-1970 

   1970s

1990s  

  1999-Today