New Report Explores California Building Code Changes Impact on Child Care Providers
By Madeline Bradshaw, graduate intern
California’s licensed child care system struggles to meet demand, particularly for low-income and rural families, in part due to affordability issues and regulatory barriers to expansion. Despite high demand for infant and toddler care, child care providers often face significant barriers that make it difficult to open or expand their programs. One critical step in opening or expanding a licensed child care facility is obtaining fire safety clearance through an inspection. The fire safety inspection process is the last step before providers can open or reopen their business, but can sometimes be disruptive, as required upgrades often entail expensive structural renovations to the facility that were previously unknown.
In a new report prepared in partnership with the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), Reconciling Fire Code Regulations for Child Care in California to Improve Child Outcomes, new research illuminates how fire safety regulations, while essential for protecting children, are often misaligned with the operational realities of early care and education (ECE). Using a mixed-methods approach, including interviews with providers and fire officials, policy analysis, and a statewide survey of nearly 600 providers, this research examines how regulatory barriers, such as costly upgrades, unclear guidance, and inconsistent enforcement practices create significant burdens for providers. These challenges not only strain the finances and operations of child care businesses, particularly those owned by women and people of color, but also make it more difficult for providers to maintain or expand their capacity, ultimately limiting access to care across the state.
Findings from this report suggest that without clearer guidelines for providers and a more coordinated approach to inspection processes among regulatory agencies, providers will continue to face unnecessary delays, costs, and stress in attempting to expand their license and increase their capacity to provide child care. Addressing these gaps and inconsistencies would not only improve provider experiences and reduce regulatory burdens, but also ensure that safe, high-quality child care can be made available more efficiently.
To reduce barriers for providers, enhance clarity of regulations and ensure consistent interpretation and enforcement between and among regulatory agencies, and better align fire safety needs with child development best practices, this research recommends the following:
Provide state grant funding to assist centers and home-based providers in meeting evolving fire code requirements.
Develop policy guidance and offer training for fire departments and licensing offices statewide to standardize fire code interpretation.
Publish an easy-to-understand, publicly accessible resource that clearly consolidates and outlines all fire code regulations for child care providers.
Designate specialized child care inspectors within local fire districts or jurisdictions.
