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Riverside is a ‘childcare desert.’ A new initiative could offer relief
The state approved money in this year’s budget to help with startup costs for a “childcare special district” in the cities of Moreno Valley and Perris in Riverside County.
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Chava Sanchez
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LAist
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The state has approved money to help create a special district for childcare within Riverside County — the first of its kind in the state.
Special districts are local government agencies in California created to provide a specific service to a community, like water or healthcare.
The district would serve Moreno Valley and Perris. State Assemblymember Corey Jackson said $2 million in state funding would help with local startup costs.
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We can’t make childcare cheaper, but we can help prepare you with the information to find resources and support.
What happens now?
Voters living in the area will still need to approve a funding mechanism for the initiative, like a tax.
“I believe it's my obligation to set up families and children for success, but I was equally tired of waiting for the state to provide enough childcare slots, for the federal government to provide childcare slots," Jackson said. "So I figured why not give my district an opportunity to decide for themselves whether they wanted to invest in childcare?”
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A bill he sponsored that would have created the special district as a pilot for five years failed to pass the Legislature this year.
Jackson said the details of the special district, including who will sit on its board, still need to be worked out.
A vote could come before voters in 2028 on how to fund the district to support childcare services.
Jackson said he hopes that additional funding could help create universal childcare for families in the district, regardless of income, but the exact services and subsidies will have to be determined based on the revenue.
“ We are at a crisis point and our families are begging for help, and it's time for us to do everything that we can to deliver, ” Jackson said.
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