Think Together, a Santa Ana-based nonprofit that runs after-school programs from Southern California to Silicon Valley, laid off 114 workers in Riverside, blaming a shift in its business.
“Due to recent changes in business conditions, including the loss of partner contracts and the resulting reduction in program operations, Think Together must make thoughtful but challenging adjustments to align our workforce with current operational needs,” wrote Kecia Bailey Alexander, Think Together’s vice president in charge of human resources, in an April 1 letter filed with the state’s Employment Development Department.
The layoffs came after careful consideration of “available alternatives,” according to Alexander.
Randy Barth, founder and chief executive officer of Think Together, Alexander and others within the nonprofit were unavailable for comment on the downsizing on Thursday, April 9.
The layoffs will affect the organization’s Riverside County Northeast Regional Hub along River Crest Drive, taking effect June 12, according to the filing made as part of the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act — commonly referred to as WARN. Such notices are required when an employer lays off more than 50 employees. All affected employees are notified at least 60 days before their terminations are scheduled to occur.
Think Together operates 12 statewide offices and serves more than 200,000 students in 500 schools with early childhood education and daily after-school programs, small-group tutoring and STEM-focused programs, and professional development for teachers and administrators.
The organization says on its website that it employs more than 5,000 people, including 315 in Orange County, 976 in Los Angeles County, 1,118 in Riverside County, 1,166 in San Bernardino County, and 1,769 in Santa Clara County.
The jobs listed in the EDD layoff notice include the Riverside hub’s executive director of programs, associate director, executives within its human resources department, recruiters, a coordinator for family and community engagement, specialists for program quality and compliance, and coordinators for sports and substitutes.
The nonprofit, which was founded in 1994, has been in a growth phase in recent years.
Barth wrote in the organization’s 2025 annual report that the group was in the first year of its five-year “strategic impact plan” to double by 2029 the number of students served through expanded learning and plans to redevelop its headquarters in Santa Ana.
Some of Think Together’s funding comes from the After School Education and Safety program, which previously faced potential funding cuts and reductions in the 2025-2026 state budget cycle, driven by state budget deficits and federal funding delays. Thousands of students faced losing access to the program due to school closures and site cancellations.
The money for the after-school programs comes mainly as a subsidy from the state’s Proposition 49-funded After School Education and Safety program, also known as ASES.
Think Together reported $236.4 million in revenue in 2025, according to the nonprofit.