Even today, San Diego County's supply of quality child care is not enough to meet the needs of families. A key component of child care supply is space: the presence of appropriate and abundant facilities to host child care. Space can come in many forms: family child care homes, child care centers, municipal or school facilities, and more. However, in a region as expensive as San Diego–with high rental costs and limited housing and retail space–facilities are hard to come by. We need to get creative.

Co-location of Child Care and Affordable Housing

The co-location of child care within affordable housing provides a vital service for residents and the surrounding community, as well as reliable tenants. Co-location solutions can be diverse to fit the diverse needs of each community, examples include a child care center in retail space or an in-unit family child care provider.

A Community Win-Win: Co-Locating Child Care with Affordable Housing in San Diego County

Co-Location One Pager

"Co-locating child care within housing just makes smart community-building and business sense!"
playground

Update and Improve

Facilities must meet a high regulatory standard in order to offer a safe space conducive to early learning and play. Whether for care in homes, centers, recreation centers, libraries, business parks, or other locations, the Children First Collective is committed to advocating for local funding and coordinating around state and federal funding opportunities to ensure facility availability does not become a bottleneck for the increased supply of child care.

Measure H Educational Awareness Campaign

State Grant Facilities Support

Below, listen to Laura Kohn from Mission Driven Finance talk about child care and housing at San Diego County’s 2023 Economic Roundtable.

So, what do you say?

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