Address Zoning to Expand Care Options
Zoning audits can be used to identify and address barriers to the expansion of early learning and care opportunities in local communities. Consider how a zoning audit could support your municipality in becoming a child care ready community. A robust child care system, which meets the needs of all families requiring child care services, is an economic development issue and critical to a community’s quality of life. A child care ready community is:
- Informed of the need for child care facilities. Organized to address identified shortfalls.
- Connected to people and organizations that provide support.
- Supportive of the unique needs of vulnerable groups.
- The community understands that it is only child care ready if everyone in the community has access to good, affordable child care close to home and work.
Pulse, in partnership with McKenna and funded by the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, provided zoning technical services to communities across Southwest Michigan. These services helped identify zoning barriers to child care business development and offered recommendations for removing obstacles and incentivizing growth. The project, which ran from July 16 to August 31, 2024, included outreach efforts and zoning audits that revealed common barriers and solutions for fostering child care readiness. Initially focused on Southwest Michigan, the project expanded to include additional communities due to high demand.
Stories
Next Steps: What Municipal Leadership Can Do
Explore a Zoning Audit Partner with zoning experts to conduct an audit of your municipality’s zoning ordinances, identifying barriers to the expansion of child care facilities. This will highlight outdated or restrictive regulations that may limit the development of child care services and help municipalities understand where adjustments are needed to support a child care-ready community.
Revise Zoning Language Review and amend zoning ordinances to allow child care centers, family homes, and group care facilities to be established as permitted uses in residential, commercial, and industrial areas. Ensuring that child care facilities can be located near homes and workplaces will increase accessibility and affordability.
Engage the Community Solicit feedback from local families, child care providers, and businesses to identify gaps in child care services. Use this input to guide zoning decisions and prioritize development in underserved areas. This approach ensures that zoning policies are aligned with the community’s real needs and economic development goals.
