History
The Riverside County Child Care Consortium is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing leadership and assistance in the establishment of quality, affordable and accessible child care programs. Founded in 1982 and incorporated in 1987, the Consortium was initiated through funding made available by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, the City of Riverside, the Press-Enterprise, the Riverside Community Hospital, the City of Moreno Valley, and the Coachella Valley Association of Governments.
Four local child care councils comprise the Consortium. The West County Child Care Council serves the Cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley. The Mid-County Child Care Council has a territory that begins in the Pass Area, extends through the Hemet/San Jacinto Valley and ends at the Sun City/Menifee Boundaries. The Southwest County Child Care Council represents the communities of Temecula, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, Canyon Lake, Perris and Wildomar. The East County Child Care Council serves the nine cities of the desert area.
The child care councils are comprised of members representing city/county government, business, education, community service agencies, child care organizations and community leaders. Council members assess child care needs at the local level and address those needs through collaborative partnerships. The Consortium does not own or operate child care programs. Instead, it provides leadership and assistance to local communities to establish child care programs.
The accomplishments of the Consortium include developing new centers and family child care homes; sponsoring community awareness events; assisting employers with employee child care issues; providing community child care resources; assisting planning departments with zoning, ordinance and regulation issues; providing scholarships to assist families with the cost of child care; and training child care providers.
In 1992, the Consortium was appointed the Local Planning Council to assist with priorities for Federal Block Grant Child Development funding in Riverside County. In that capacity, the Consortium reviews funding, conducts needs assessments and makes recommendations based on identified priorities.
Consortium accomplishments are made possible because of community support at the city, county, state and federal levels. Accomplishments are also made possible due to special partnerships with the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services and First 5 Riverside.