Families living in California face some of the steepest child care costs in the country and that financial barrier can disrupt the ability of parents to work and earn income. Child Care Resource Center not only connects families with subsidized child care, but also equips child care providers with the coaching and training they need to positively impact child development. CCRC’s expansive array of resources extends beyond child care to include early childhood education, fresh food distribution, mental health services, workforce development and more. As a trusted arbiter of state and federal funding in Southern California for nearly 50 years, CCRC has rapidly scaled services year after year to meet the growing need for support.
The agency was founded in 1976 after a group of parents in the San Fernando Valley struggled to find quality child care, education, and services for their families. As a nascent agency, CCRC then focused solely on child care services. But that focus shifted and evolved to support whole child and family well-being, not just in northern Los Angeles County but into the entirety of San Bernardino County.
CCRC was awarded contracts for Head Start, a nationally recognized early childhood education program for families earning below the poverty level, and opened the first site in 1995. Today, the agency operates 20+ Head Start and Early Head Start locations that provide service to over 2,500 children. In 1998, CCRC and nine other Los Angeles County R&R agencies undertook a major project by contracting with the Department of Social Services (DSS) to provide child care services for participants in the CalWORKs program. Through county and state child care financial assistance programs, CCRC now affords subsidized child care services to 57,000 children. According to CCRC research, 99% of CCRC families surveyed stated they were either able to accept a job or keep their job because of their child care.
“Thank God there’s not that pressure of who I’m going to pay for day care each month,” said Desiree Williams, a mother of twins who receives subsidized child care through CCRC. “If I had to pay for daycare, all my money would go to day care and there wouldn’t be money left for bills.”
Under the leadership of CCRC president and CEO Dr. Michael Olenick, agency programs and services also include parenting and educational classes, literacy support, trauma support, and home visitation. And after learning that many children and families were going hungry, the nonprofit began incorporating into its services fresh food distributions. In 2023 alone, CCRC provided almost one million food items to 10,000 families. In addition to food, the agency also distributed 117,000 diapers and 2,800 wipes, over 1,500 backpacks full of school supplies, more than 6,000 articles of clothing, and numerous sets of personal hygiene products to families and child care providers. When many families were faced with unemployment and food insecurity during the pandemic, these necessities were a critical life line. The services and resources offered by the agency and the passion-driven work of CCRC staff are powerful interventions in the lives of countless families, who are empowered to succeed and thrive without barriers.
The employees at CCRC, in cooperation with the agency’s internal research team and external partners, continue to assess needs, identify gaps, and find new solutions to the ongoing and growing needs of families. The agency’s Government Relations team works closely with policymakers to craft legislation that acts in the interest of families and child care providers in the state. Partnerships with lawmakers have enabled CCRC to secure funding for new projects, like a recent $400,000 grant obtained with the help of Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo to launch its Fill the Fridge fresh food program.
“For me this is so meaningful. I know food insecurity unfortunately is such a big issue in our community,” said Schiavo. “Kids can’t focus, thrive, and grow to be big healthy kids if they don’t have the food they need. Being able to help CCRC get these funds to have refrigerators and truck and infrastructure needed to get kids the foods they need – I can’t wait to see those refrigerators and trucks in action.” The breadth of CCRC’s operation, which includes over 1,200 staff serving upwards of 75,000 children, families, and child care providers, is the result of an unrelenting commitment to the community. To ensure the cultural needs of agency staff and the people it serves are respectfully addressed, CCRC implemented a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion division that was awarded the “DEI Nonprofit Organization of the Year” distinction by a major Los Angeles publication. Dr. Olenick has been named a leading CEO by the San Fernando Valley Business Journal for seven straight years.
As the nonprofit continues to increase its reach, it’s focused on three main funding priorities: 1) Enhance case management services to offer developmental screenings, 2) Alleviate food insecurity among children and families, and 3) Partner with businesses to improve child care accessibility for working families. CCRC has pilot programs in The Antelope Valley and San Bernardino County assessing children using the Ages And Stages tool and makes referrals to Loma Linda Hospital. Because fewer than 6% of all children access any mental health care at all and under 3% receive ongoing care, the agency is building up its mental health services.
For the last five years, CCRC has been developing a coordinated system of information delivery, training, and support to parents and providers with the 60 California Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. To address food insecurity, CCRC is expanding its food distribution program to include nutritious perishable items. And in an effort to improve child care accessibility, the agency is ramping up business outreach to ensure employers understand the need for child care services and educating them on ways to support the needs of their employees.
CCRC understands that strong families make for strong communities. The agency’s commitment to this vision is illustrated not simply in the work it’s already done, but in its plans for the future.
Learn more at CCRCCA.org.
