MOTION-- Participation in quality Early Childhood Education (ECE) programs during the ages of 0-5 is critical to the
cognitive, social and emotional development of children, yet families often find that ECE opportunities are
expensive and difficult to find. In the City of Los Angeles, ninety-six percent of children under the age of two lack
access to a licensed child care center seat. There are only 3,406 licensed infant/toddler child care center seats for the
85,251 children under the age of two in the City of Los Angeles

ECE is also a critical industry sector of small business owners, and they provide a service that is essential to
allowing parents to pursue jobs and education. Navigating the challenging land use approval process, including
high fees for Conditional Use Permits (CUPs), long wait times for hearings, and the imposition of unnecessary and
costly requirements, sidelines most prospective child care center providers. These barriers not only hurt small
business owners, but also low-income families and communities that these businesses could serve.

In an effort to increase the supply of child care, the City of San Francisco removed the CUP requirement for child
care facilities in all areas of the City, except heavy industrial. They have also facilitated a partnership between their
local parks and recreation department and the Department of Social Services that allows ECE facilities to satisfy
their outdoor space requirements with adjacent parks. Additionally, the City of Santa Monica has created a Child
Care Center Planning Guide and implemented a pre-submittal review process for providers that explores viability
up front with a dedicated staff person with ECE expertise.

Due to COVID-19, many child care centers and in-home daycares have shut down, and some may never have the
ability to open again. Losing these child care facilities will exacerbate the child care shortage in California, and
make it even harder for parents to find care for their children as they return to work. In the 2019 state budget,
Governor Gavin Newsom allocated $263 million for ECE facilities. The time is now to streamline the
administrative facilities approval process in order to bring much needed facilities funds to the City of Los Angeles.

I THEREFORE MOVE that the Planning Department, with the assistance of the City Attorney, the Chief
Legislative Analyst, and the Department of Building and Safety report with recommendations for:

1. Permitting child care facilities by-right in all areas of the City, except heavy industrial; or

2. Creating an administrative approval process for childcare facilities if the applicant complies with licensing
requirements and agrees to a set of standard conditions, such as the proposed standard conditions attached
to this Motion; and

3. Implementing a pre-submittal review process with ECE providers like the City of Santa Monica’s program.

I FURTHER MOVE that the Planning Department with the assistance of the Department of Recreation and Parks,
the City Attorney, and the Chief Legislative Analyst, report with recommendations on implementing a pilot
program that allows ECE providers to satisfy their outdoor space requirement with public parks, similar to the City
of San Francisco’s program.

I FURTHER MOVE that the Department of Building and Safety report with recommendations for reducing or
eliminating the “change of use” fee when single family residences used as family child care homes or single family
child care homes are converted to child care center facilities.