The second model, the employer consortium, involves companies joining together to discuss common needs and explore funding strategies. Employer consortia take many forms and can include firms of varying sizes. Sometimes companies meet simply to talk and share knowledge, and these discussions may or may not lead to joint projects and a pooling of resources. Other times employers will come together with a specific project already identified.
Businesses come together in a particular geographic area - town, city, state.
These local consortia provide a forum for employers to talk about child care needs and issues. Additionally, employers may strategize about how to increase non-standard hours care in their area and ultimately invest resources in new centers or family day care homes. An example from a southwestern metropolitan area is described below. Employers who are part of a particular service industry or industrial sector come together to address common child care issues that arise from their employees' similar needs and schedules. This model is illustrated through an example from the hotel industry.