El Campito was founded by Concepcion and Ignacio Niño in 1970. It was created for the children of migrant workers, hence the name. The parents would go to "el campo", the field, and the children would go to "El Campito", the little field. The focus was and continues to be on children of migrant workers as well as low-income families. They started out of their home, and it grew and grew until they bought a second house, then a small brick and mortar building, until 1986 when St. Stephan's Church donated their old school building on Thomas Street, where we still reside today.

We pride ourselves on being able to provide the best quality of care to those in our community who would not have access to it otherwise. Today, through the generous support of the community, El Campito has grown out of the Niño's home to become one of South Bend's oldest non-profit child development centers. We continue to demonstrate our commitment to creating a community of our own - an inclusive environment that embraces and celebrates children from all cultures and backgrounds.