Regional Childcare

Childcare Is a Land Use Issue

One of the most direct levers local governments have to address the childcare shortage is land use planning. Outdated or overly restrictive zoning can quietly prevent childcare businesses from opening — even when the community desperately needs them. The U.P. ECE Task Force's municipal assessment found that a significant number of local master plans across the region are out of date, and that strategies addressing childcare are uncommon in U.P. plans. That's an opportunity.

Why it matters:

Access to childcare is inextricably linked with housing, transportation, and employment needs. Lack of access and unaffordable childcare may lead to a parent dropping out of the workforce, while access to convenient, affordable childcare can create economic advantages for both families and communities. Treating childcare centers as commercial land uses rather than neighborhood-serving uses increases the cost and inconvenience of childcare for residents — and increased zoning barriers add directly to the cost of care.

Good planning and zoning practices for childcare include:

• Allow childcare by right in more zones. The American Planning Association encourages communities to amend local zoning ordinances to remove obstacles to regulated group and family childcare in all appropriate and safe zoning districts — rather than requiring a special use permit or public hearing for every application.
• Simplify the permit process. Where conditional use permits are required, make them administrative (staff-level review, no public hearing) for smaller or lower-impact facilities. Lengthy, expensive approval processes disproportionately burden small, home-based providers who have the least capacity to absorb delays.
• Reduce or waive fees. Permit and impact fees designed for commercial development can be prohibitive for childcare entrepreneurs operating on thin margins. Many communities have begun waiving or reducing fees for childcare facilities the same way they do for affordable housing.
• Include childcare in your master plan. Long-range comprehensive plans set the framework for regulatory and programmatic change — evaluating these plans for areas that need more policy support for childcare facilities is an important first step. Communities that explicitly address childcare needs in their master plans create a foundation for the zoning and programmatic changes that follow.
• Consider adaptive reuse. Vacant commercial spaces, underused schools, and church buildings are often well-suited for childcare facilities. Zoning and local incentives can encourage their conversion.
• Account for rural realities. In the U.P., older building stock, private well and septic systems, and long distances to inspection resources create unique barriers. Municipalities can help by streamlining local permitting steps that are within their control and actively connecting aspiring providers with state and regional navigation support.