(The Center Square) – The Snohomish County Council has unanimously approved legislation to increase access to child care for families in the region.
The ordinance is expected to increase the number of available child care slots by allowing a streamlined permitting process to increase the pace of new facilities opening in Snohomish County.
Ordinance 25-015 specifically removes a requirement that day care centers only be permitted in connection with and secondary to a school facility or place of worship. It also allows day care centers up to 8,000 square feet as a permitted use and and simplifies the calculation of minimum parking requirements for day care centers.
When a proposed day care center is in the permitting process, traffic conditions surrounding the site will be explored, as part of the review process. This concern was brought up during a public comment period on Wednesday.
The ordinance only impacts unincorporated areas of Snohomish County.
The bill was sponsored by Snohomish County Councilmembers Nate Nehring and Jared Mead, who believe the ordinance will help address a documented shortage of child care services in the region. However, they note more work still needs to be done to fully address the issue.
“I appreciate my council colleagues for recognizing the need to address the childcare shortage in Snohomish County,” Council Chair Nehring said in a statement. “While there is more work to do at the state and local level to increase the availability of quality, affordable childcare, this ordinance is a step in the right direction.”
Mead described the county as a “child care desert” in need of more options for families
During the public hearing on Wednesday, Mead added that Snohomish County is one of the worst counties in Washington when it comes to child care affordability and accessibility.
“This ordinance is really about trying to address some of those issues; it’s not going to cure the whole thing. There’s plenty of other policy things we need to be doing in the industry to try to make [child care] a little more cheaper,” Mead said during the public hearing. “But I think this goes a long way to helping site new facilities.”
