San Diego County is facing a child care crisis with a lack of available licensed child care spots in the region, leaving children of working parents without access to child care. Access to quality, affordable child care is critical to maintaining a family’s economic stability and mobility while also ensuring children enter Kindergarten ready to thrive.

Families have multiple options when it comes to child care, including: Licensed Child Care Centers (CCCs); Licensed Family Child Care Homes (FCCs); and License-Exempt Child Care Centers (Licensed-Exempt CCCs). Each type of care setting is eligible for different levels of publicly funded support, and the cost of care varies greatly depending on the category.

Understanding the local child care landscape helps us identify regions of opportunity to increase access to child care so parents can continue to work and all children have an equitable opportunity to thrive during the critical developmental years of early childhood.

Explore the interactive maps below to understand where opportunity may be lacking for families in San Diego County and help us develop local solutions to help more families break cycles of poverty.

CHILD CARE REFERRALS

Funded by the Child Development Division of the California Department of Education, the YMCA Childcare Resource Service (CRS) offers free child care referrals and resources to families in San Diego County so parents and guardians can make informed decisions about child care. We are committed to supporting families in their search for quality, affordable, and convenient child care options.

If you have questions or need to locate a provider, please contact the child care referral line at (800) 481-2151 or e-mail [email protected]. Confidentiality of families and children is maintained at all times.

The following interactive map contains information on child care supply in San Diego County. To expand the size of the map, select the open in a new tab icon on the right bottom corner of the map.

If you would like to share the map, select the share icon on the right bottom corner of the map for the link to share on Facebook or Twitter. ** These maps and data are not to be altered or reproduced without express written consent from the YMCA of San Diego County.

• What are the trends you notice between each type of care setting? Is a type of care more prevalent in certain areas?
• Which areas of the County are considered “child care deserts,” areas where child care supply falls well below the number of children in the area? What implication does this have for residents in that area?

• How can an understanding of the local child care landscape inspire research related to economic growth and child development?
• What role can stakeholders (policymakers, community-based organizations, private funders) play in improving access to quality, affordable child care?

• Licensed Child Care Centers (CCCs): Care takes place in a commercial facility and offers full and part time schedules typically following traditional work hours. Staff qualifications differ based on the program funding. Licensed by State of California, Community care Licensing.
• CCC Infant License: Provides care to children from birth up to 24 months. Ratios vary depending on how the program is funded but a maximum of 1 adult for every 4 children.
• CCC Preschool License: Provides care to children ages 2 years to 5 years. Ratios vary depending on how the program is funded but a maximum of 1 adult for every 12 children.
• CCC School Age License: Provides care to children ages 5 years to 12 years. Ratios vary depending on how the program is funded but a maximum of 1 adult for every 14 children.

• Licensed Family Child Care Home (FCCs): Care takes place in the provider’s home and offers full and part time schedules. May offer traditional, evening, night, weekend, early morning or overnight care. There is no minimum staffing qualification. Licensed by State of California, Community Care Licensing.
• Licensed-Exempt Child Care Centers (Licensed-Exempt CCCs): Care takes place in a commercial facility and offers full and part time schedules typically following traditional work hours. Staff qualifications vary. Monitoring is the responsibility of the parent.
• Licensed Capacity: The total licensed capacity is the maximum legal number of children provider can care for at any one time. Ratios must be followed based on the child’s age group.
• Desired Capacity: The maximum number of children that the provider would like to care for at one time. This may be less than the maximum legal capacity. Desired capacity cannot exceed licensed capacity.

YMCA CRS is looking for ways to continuously improve the San Diego County Child Care Supply Map. We value your perspective on this topic and appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this survey.

TAKE SURVEY