EL MONTE — For decades, MacLaren Children’s Center was supposed to provide refuge for some of Los Angeles County’s most vulnerable children. Its history instead became associated with allegations of abuse, neglect and a system that too often failed the children placed in its care.
MacLaren closed more than two decades ago. The sprawling El Monte property it left behind remained a reminder of that troubled history.
Now, children are returning to the same ground for a very different reason: to play…