Employer-provided child care helps companies recruit and retain employees, reduces absenteeism, benefits employees and may improve productivity, but it can be costly. In some cases, an overlooked alternative -- child-care cooperatives -- may be just the ticket, says E. Kim Coontz, of UC Davis' Center for Cooperatives. Consortia, or child-care networks, cooperatively arranged among companies may help small employers or employers with few parents provide child care near the work site. Employers might also try another approach: parent cooperatives, in which parents are involved with the day-to-day management of the facility, with the employer offering space, services, etc. A symposium sponsored by the center, "Financing Employer-Assisted Child Care: Cooperative Models," will be held Friday, April 23, at the Sheraton Hotel in Concord, Calif.