Louisville Metro wants public input on access to child care

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Child care is key to getting parents back to work, but access to that care can be difficult.

For many parents, child care close to home is hard to come by. Despite residential zones taking up much of the Louisville Metro area, child care providers with eight or more kids must operate in a commercial and office zone.

Emily Liu, Louisville's Office of Planning and Design Director, said a land development code change back in 2011 meant child care centers could no longer get special conditional use permits to operate outside commercial zones.

"We feel that might be one of the reasons really contribute to this day care, child care crisis going on, especially during the pandemic," Liu said. "Two-thirds of the county — Jefferson County — are not allowed to have a day care either as a permitted use or conditional use. Two-thirds. Think about those people who do not have cars to drop off their kids, who depend on alternative transportation. That's really a challenge."

Liu said the code change also led to less applicants to open more residential day care facilities.

"For the last five years, we only have two applications for child care in a residential zoning district," she said. "Five years prior to the change, we had 55. So it has drastically changed."

What was already an issue before the city believes has gotten worse since some child care centers closed or reduced capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. So Liu's office is hosting public input meetings to see what challenges current zoning rules present for parents.

"Do you find the location is convenient to you? Are they close to where you live and where you work?" Liu said. "Those are the main things we'd like to hear from them."

Community Coordinated Childcare 4-C, a child care resource and referral agency, sent WDRB News a statement Monday to express its support for zoning changes:

“Child care is often referred to as the workforce behind the workforce. Without access to quality child care families are forced to make impossible choices. In a statewide parent survey with heavy Jefferson County representation, 45% of parents noted that someone in the family had to quit a job, not take a job or change their job due to child care from March to December 2020. Almost 40% indicated they had reduced work hours to provide child care. Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C) believes it important for the city to ease the restrictions on child care providers and include child care as a permitted use in all zones where children can safely be cared for.”

- Assistant Director Dawn Thompson

Planning and Design doesn't regulate affordability or quality of child care centers but hopes potential zoning changes could help with any location-related issues.

"To make it easier for day cares to operate and to be located throughout the county," Liu said. "To make it easier and convenient for parents to have the child care services."

The first public meeting will be held virtually at 7 p.m. Tuesday. It will be held online via Cisco Webex Video Teleconferencing. Find a link HERE.

Another four meetings will be held in-person at various parks between this week and next:

Petersburg Park (5008 E. Indian Trail, Louisville, KY 40218) - Saturday, Oct. 9, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
California Park (1104 S. 16th St.) - Sunday, Oct. 10, 1-3 p.m.
Iroquois Park (5216 New Cut Road)– Tuesday, Oct. 12, 4-6 p.m.
Hounz Lane Park (2300 Hounz Lane) – Thursday, Oct. 14, 4-6 p.m.

After the public meetings conclude, potential changes to the code will be drafted within a couple weeks, and that draft will be sent to the planning commission for review.