The missing piece in California’s housing boom: Childcare

Across the Bay Area and the state, communities are adding housing at historic rates. This growth is intended to make communities more livable, equitable and economically vibrant. But when families move into those new homes, they need childcare close to where they live. Too often, there is no plan for that.

The absence of childcare is not just a hardship for individual families. It is a constraint on the broader economy. When parents cannot find affordable, reliable care, many reduce their work hours or leave the workforce entirely. Businesses lose talent, productivity declines and communities struggle to reach their economic potential. At scale, the childcare shortage functions as a structural barrier, no different from aging roads or public transit.

It’s time to start planning for childcare as the essential infrastructure it is.

In Mountain View, the City Council recently amended its municipal code to allow childcare centers to be co-located with multifamily residential buildings, and to permit family childcare homes within commercial zones designated as Mixed-Use Village Centers. These changes create clear pathways for providers to open and expand where families need them most, reflecting a growing recognition that childcare belongs in the same planning conversations as housing.

San Mateo County has seen similar progress. The city of South San Francisco’s Child Care Master Plan demonstrates that local governments can take a proactive approach, treating childcare access as inseparable from housing, workforce participation and community growth. Across the region, local agencies, nonprofits and community leaders are beginning to explore how zoning updates and public-private partnerships can help close the gap between where families live and where care is available.

Providers face real obstacles. In the Bay Area, finding affordable sites, navigating permitting, securing financing and meeting licensing requirements can determine whether a program opens, expands or closes. Integrating childcare into community planning can ease those burdens and create more stable infrastructure for families.

The physical opportunities already exist. Ground-floor commercial space in new housing developments is frequently underutilized. Licensed childcare is exactly the kind of neighborhood-serving use that can fill those spaces productively. Transit hubs and employment centers, already built around daily movement, are natural locations for accessible childcare. In fact, the city of Mountain View will soon see childcare integrated into the former Evelyn Avenue Valley Transportation Authority site. 

Childcare is also an important part of community resilience. As communities face increasing risks from extreme heat, wildfire smoke, earthquakes and other disruptions, childcare providers should be included in local emergency preparedness and resilience planning. Families depend on these services not only in everyday life, but during times of crisis.

Importantly, much of this work does not require waiting for new state funding or federal action. Cities have tools available now: General Plan updates, zoning code amendments, streamlined permitting for providers and partnerships with housing developers.

That is why we support Assembly Bill 1914, co-sponsored by state Sen. Josh Becker, chair of the California Bay Area Legislative Caucus, and our local Assemblymembers Alex Lee, Catherine Stefani and Patrick Ahrens. The bill would help ensure that local planning frameworks account for childcare access alongside housing, safety and climate resilience.

Communities that plan well for families tend to be more stable, more prosperous and more attractive to long-term residents. That stability does not happen by accident. It requires building the infrastructure that makes it possible, and childcare is part of that infrastructure.

California has made meaningful advancements in housing. The next step is ensuring that the families who move into that housing have what they need to thrive.

Childcare is not a problem for parents to solve on their own. It is essential community infrastructure to be planned for, zoned for and integrated into the cities we are building, just like everything else that makes a community function.

Let’s plan for it.

Ellen Kamei is a Mountain View councilmember and former mayor. Christine Padilla is director of Build Up San Mateo County, a countywide initiative focused on expanding and improving childcare infrastructure.