Council asks staff to explore city role in childcare access and regulatory barriers

City of Westminster councilors asked staff to investigate ways the city could expand childcare access and reduce regulatory barriers, while clarifying that council did not intend the city to operate childcare centers directly.

Councilors discussed multiple approaches: piloting on‑site childcare at city facilities, using underutilized municipal buildings to host providers, partnering with non‑profit or private operators, supporting home‑based provider training and expedited licensing, and evaluating options to expand recreation‑center programs beyond summer camps into the school year. Staff noted a forthcoming partnership (described as a “Maker” housing element project) that would include on‑site childcare funded through home‑fund sources and will be brought to the council for review.

Several councilors asked staff to identify low‑cost, low‑administrative options first (for example, a training program and streamlined permitting for home‑based providers) and to explore external partners who can implement programs so as not to divert significant staff time. Staff confirmed prior examples in other jurisdictions where such programs trained home providers and expedited licensing to scale capacity.

Council direction: staff should return with a menu of feasible options, best‑practice examples, potential partners, and estimates of costs and permitting or liability issues, so council can decide which approaches to pursue.

What’s next: staff will research models (including public‑private and nonprofit partnerships), regulatory adjustments to speed licensing, and possible pilot sites and report back to council.