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Dismal child-care statistics in California underscore the need that prompted a model project of the California Council of Churches and Catholic Charities of California. Begun in 1999, the project has increased quality child care services in areas of greatest need.

The situation: Some 280,000 children on waiting lists for subsidized care--a growing number as more parents move from welfare to work. Licensed child care that meets less than one-fourth of estimated need. Many working parents forced to use informal arrangements that vary in quality.

In response, the child care project, funded by the Lucile and David Packard Foundation and The California Endowment, set out offer support for congregations in low-income areas of six counties for any child-care and development service they envisioned.

Project Coordinator Virginia Greenwald notes that the project builds on the dedication of churches to child well being, demonstrated by the fact that at least one in every five licensed child care centers in the state is housed in a congregation. But churches in the project's target areas "are in the same boat" economically as the families they seek to serve, she says.

While some might dwell on this scarcity of resources, the project instead emphasizes the congregations' assets and helps them find additional resources. For those starting a child care facility, which must conform to state standards, "project staff were a bridge between the culture of the churches and the culture of the public sector," says Ms. Greenwald.

As a result of these joint efforts, churches have opened or will soon open more than a dozen licensed child care centers, she reports.

Not all congregations can manage a center, Ms. Greenwald adds, "but everyone can do something." The project offers many action ideas, including support for home-based child care providers.

To learn more about this project that builds on Christ's promise of life abundant and on a vision of a safe, nurturing place for all children to grow, visit www.calchurches.org