N4C History

The seeds of N4C were sown during the activist climate of the 1970s in Riverside, California, where an informal non-profit organization was formed called the Robert F. Kennedy Council on Campus Child Care. This Council had as its major goal the promotion of quality comprehensive child care at institutions of higher education so that it would be available for all students who sought it, and for all children who needed it. After several transitions resulting from the growth of the organization and the needs of its members, in 1982 the National Coalition for Campus Child Care was formally incorporated as a membership organization. (A more comprehensive history is available by contacting the N4C office.)

N4C Historical Timeline (at-a-glance)

Before N4C Campus center directors met together at NAEYC conferences to talk about campus issues.
1970 Rae Burrell, a student parent at U. of California Riverside, applied for and received a Robert F. Kennedy Foundation grant to organize a group called the RFK-CCC, Robert F. Kennedy Council for Campus Childcare. The focus was political in nature to promote high quality child care on college campuses.
1971 First N4C annual conference was held in Washington, DC. Gradually through the 70s, the organization’s focus changed to include program and curriculum issues.
Late 1970s Grant money from the Kennedy Foundation ran out. The members assumed more control over the organization. Dr. Harriet Alger led the group to a more professional focus and the name changed to the National Coalition for Campus Child Care.
1983 N4C was incorporated as a dues-paying organization. The permanent office was established at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.
1990 Strategic planning results in a long-range plan for the decade.
1990s N4C Chapters established; campus centers continue to evolve. Laboratory schools and service-oriented centers began to mediate functions into integrated types of programs.
1996

N4C Governing Board changes the organization’s name to National Coalition for Campus Children’s Centers to give a broader focus. CAMPUSCARE-L listserv is established through the ERIC system.
1997 N4C gains 501(c)3 status as a non-profit organization. The central office moves to Chicago through a contract with Burnison, Chasnoff and Associates (BCA).
1998 N4C Governing Board and membership work hard to influence Congress in re-enacting the Higher Education Act to include grants for supporting student parents with increased child care accessibility—Child Care Access Means Parents In School (CCAMPIS).
1999 First CCAMPIS grants received from U. S. Department of Education.
2001 Central office returns to a campus setting with a move to the University of Northern Iowa campus in Cedar Falls, IA. Membership in N4C continues to grow.
2002 N4C celebrates thirty years at the annual conference in San Antonio, TX.
2003 N4C Governing Board expands from 15 members to 17 members.
2004 Annual conference held in Seattle, WA. Membership is the largest ever at 617 members.
2009 Staff offices move to Folsom California
2012 N4C celebrates forty years at the annual conference in Austin, TX.
2016 The N4C office moves to Franklin, TN