Child Care Resource Center’s (CCRC) Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ellen Cervantes, has been appointed to represent the 5th District as a member of Los Angeles County’s Policy Roundtable for Child Care Development (Roundtable). CCRC is delighted to support her on this new venture as she continues her dedicated work in support of early childhood education, child development and community relations.
“I’ve been going to the Roundtable for about ten years without a seat. I had been going as an interested person who cares about the investments we are making in our young children, which I have mostly learned over the years through my job at CCRC. I could only do so much as a visitor, but now I have my own seat at the table – my voice.” Cervantes remarks.
In this role, Mrs. Cervantes will be at the forefront of policy reform and our community’s ability to provide care for LA county’s youngest learners. The Roundtable exists to bring county agencies together to build and strengthen the early care and education system for children 0-5. They analyze the challenges facing young children; such as mental health, child care provider resources, policy, systems and infrastructure. Through their analysis, they provide to the Board of Supervisors, recommendations for policy reform. The Board then goes on to endorse and support developing laws and programs that combat the real difficulties our communities are facing.
At the March Roundtable monthly meeting held March 14, 2018, Cervantes’ first since being appointed, she wasted no time. Her first order of business was updating the committee about her ongoing work with DCFS and the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, and their quest to make child care available at no charge to foster parents caring for children under the age of 0- 5 and their siblings.
“I’m passionate about children and young families and how we can help bring resources to LA County, especially to the people in the 5th district. The services that are available in the city are just not available in the desert. It’s kind of like out of sight out, out of mind. So I’m rooting for the underdog and will continue do so.”
Ellen Cervantes has an extensive tenure in non-profit management, program development and community engagement. She has worked at CCRC for sixteen years, where she oversees all of the direct service programs including Head Start Birth to 5, Subsidized Child Care, and Resource & Referral/Child Development. Cervantes has also been a driving force behind Home Visitation Project, Gateways Career Program and the Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP).
Ellen Cervantes is no stranger to enacting change in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. CCRC is thrilled to support her journey to increase the quality and access to childhood programs and services.
