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Student hand prints and a rainbow cover a wall in the classroom at a preschool in Fresno County. The city of Fresno recently established a commission on child care.<\/p>\n
CRAIG KOHLRUSS<\/p>\n
Fresno Bee Staff Photo<\/p>\n
The new Fresno Commission on Family Affordability and Childcare Access had an efficient, if not lonely, inaugural meeting \u2014 clocking in and out in 12 minutes.<\/p>\n
CThe main item on the agenda Friday, Aug. 21 was to appoint eight commissioners to serve on the committee with city councilmembers Tyler Maxwell, Nelson Esparza and Annalisa Perea. The only other people in the chamber were city staff.<\/p>\n
All three councilmembers provided opening remarks about the importance of child care.<\/p>\n
\u201cChild care is an issue that is not often talked about here in our city, especially those firsthand experiences of what it means to be able to wake up in the morning and have the ability to go to work versus needing to stay home because you do not have quality or affordable child care,\u201d Perea said from the dais.<\/p>\n
Maxwell, who spearheaded the formation of the commission, said “it is time for the city of Fresno to get aggressive about solving the child care crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
The members did not discuss specifics about where city funds, if any, may come from. They did set a calendar for meetings for the rest of the year \u2014 the first Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. at city council chambers.<\/p>\n
The full city council established the commission<\/a> by a 7-0 vote on June 8.<\/p>\n Who is on the commission?<\/p>\n By a 3-0 vote, the councilmembers appointed the following to the commission:<\/p>\n \u2022 Aldo Alvarado, Fresno EOC board member\/Head Start County-Wide Policy Council (District 4)<\/p>\n \u2022 Elizabeth Gonzalez, The Children\u2019s Movement (District 4)<\/p>\n \u2022 Ofelia Gonzalez, Central Valley Children\u2019s Services Network (District 5)<\/p>\n \u2022 Andrea Cervantes Woods, Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, Early Care and Education Department (District 5)<\/p>\n \u2022 Cindy J. Hernandez, Youth Leadership Institute (District 3)<\/p>\n \u2022 Lavera L. Smith, Fresno County Department of Social Services, Supportive Services Inc. Alternative Payment Program (District 1)<\/p>\n \u2022 Fabiola Gonzalez, First Five Fresno County (District 7)<\/p>\n \u2022 Deborah D. Young, SEIU 521 Child Care Workers (District 6)<\/p>\n This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 3:12 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n