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College of the Desert outlines Indio campus growth, new programs and child-care expansion
Summary
College of the Desert officials described recent campus expansions in downtown Indio, including a $75 million phase 2 build-out, added instructional space and new child-care capacity, and tied those investments to workforce and wraparound student supports.
College of the Desert officials told the Indio City Council on Oct. 1 that recent investments and new programs at the Indio campus are intended to expand local access to higher education and align training with regional job growth.
The presentation by Superintendent Garcia and Dr. Jessica Anders emphasized the college’s two-decade partnership with Indio and noted a major capital investment completed in 2024. "With the support of voters who passed Measure CC, we planned and completed phase 2 of the Indio campus in 2024," Superintendent Garcia said, describing the project as a roughly $75,000,000 investment that added "more than 65–67,000 square feet" of instructional and student support space.
The college described program and facility changes it says will increase local capacity for career technical education and student services. Dr. Anders said the expansion added programs in health sciences, early childhood education, criminal justice, fire and emergency medical services, business, digital arts and media, and workforce-readiness supports. The new child development center at the Indio campus created 80 child-care slots and, the college said, generated 45 education jobs.
College officials framed those changes as part of a broader East Valley workforce strategy. Garcia said the campus distributes wraparound services — including on-site child care, mental-health access and a food pantry — that help keep students enrolled. "At the Indio campus alone, we have distributed and received more than 170,000 pounds of food and goods," he said, citing last-year activity at the campus pantry.
Council members thanked College of the Desert staff and described the campus as an economic and educational anchor for Indio. Councilmember Ortiz noted the expansion of science and EMT classes and said the new child-care slots and related jobs strengthen workforce pipelines. Councilmember Furman and Mayor Miller also praised the campus work and said they want to expand partnership opportunities with the city.
College of the Desert officials told the council the campus expansion is intended to serve thousands more students annually and to align with Indio’s strategic priorities for economic opportunity, community well-being and downtown activation. The college did not announce further municipal requests or new funding actions during the presentation.
Looking ahead, college leaders said they will keep coordinating with city staff on training pipelines tied to local job growth and community needs. The council did not take action on the presentation; it served as an informational update.
