Community Planning and Land Use

City and county government planning policies and permitting practices can either support or discourage the development and operation of child care and early education programs. LINCC works with local planners, policy makers and advocates to ensure positive consideration of child care needs in community planning and development.

• Inclusion of child care policies and strategies in city and county General Plans
• Elimination or reduction of barriers posed by zoning restrictions and permits
• Linkage of child care to plans for and development of housing, employment centers and transit.

Examples of the results of our work are:

• New child care policies were included in several General Plans in LINCC counties, in Economic Development, Land Use, Housing, Circulation/Transportation, Public Facilities and other elements.
• Bakersfield eliminated its conditional use permit requirement for large family child care homes. Arvin, also in Kern County, eliminated the $1,350 permit fee for this use.
• Child care 'start-up' brochures, describing local and state requirements and approval processes, were developed for several jurisdictions.
• Housing and transportation agencies are considering families' child care needs in their planning and in development projects.
• San Mateo County's Congestion Management Plan includes on-site child care as one of many traffic mitigation measures available to large development projects.
• State legislation was passed that provides density bonuses for residential developments that include child care space (Ca. Government Code §65915). A second bill, that would require consideration of child care in General Plans, passed the legislature in two sessions but was vetoed by the Governor.