MORENO VALLEY - The founder of a nonprofit group seeking to break down barriers to early childhood education said Wednesday that the next statewide school construction bond must include funding for new preschool classrooms.

Molly Munger, a First 5 California state commissioner and founder of the Advancement Project Los Angeles, said the Inland region is not accessing all the funding it could be for early-childhood programs because there is a shortage of places to house them.

Munger, a former assistant U.S. attorney, was the keynote speaker at the Child Care Crisis Summit hosted by First 5 Riverside. The organization is supported by tobacco tax funds and provides services for children through age 5.

Child care is the fifth largest industry in Riverside County, generating $230 million annually in gross receipts and employing more than 5,800 workers, said Deborah Clark-Crews, executive director of the Riverside County Child Care Consortium.

Nevertheless, the county ranks last among the state's 58 counties in adequate and affordable child care services. First 5 advocates say the shortage means 80 percent of families with children experience frustration, worries and absences from work.

County leaders are scrambling to address the problem, including allowing developers to fast-track housing projects that have included sites for child care and early education, Supervisor Jeff Stone said.

Planners also are including provisions for child care and preschool as they prepare to update the county's general plan this year, Stone said.

The region's rapid population growth coupled with parents' long commutes to jobs in neighboring counties has contributed to the unmet demand, Stone said.

"We can make an investment in child care now ... or we can make the investment later in life by putting them through the revolving doors of our jail system," said Stone, expressing optimism the county would pull itself off the bottom rung.

Munger said the Advancement Project is proposing Sacramento lawmakers plan for $1.247 billion in the next school bond to create preschool classrooms in low-performing districts or districts where 78 percent of the children are in free or reduced lunch programs.

"Mostly what we are hearing is that it's a no-brainer," Munger said. Munger said she hoped to see a school bond this year although she could not predict when one might actually be put before voters.

A survey by the Advancement Project found California neighborhoods that lack existing preschool space to serve all their 4-year-old residents have higher populations of Latino children and low-income African-American children, she said.

Munger said she understands the plight of middle-class families who struggle to find and pay for child care and preschool services; however, she said focus must be given to families for which those services are otherwise out of reach.

She said many elementary schools have excess land on which to build preschool classrooms. Under the Advancement Project's proposals, districts would have first say about whether they would provide preschool programming.

Munger said it was probable many school districts and county offices of education would look for private providers to operate the preschools because of the expense they would incur doing so themselves.

She said there are examples of cash-strapped school districts cobbling together money to create successful early childhood education programs despite the current economic challenges in California.

"We ought to find a way to make progress on some of these barriers that are hurting our kids," Munger said.