Laguna Beach / Coastal Orange County
Daycare and Education Space in Laguna Beach
The CDSS search returned five licensed child care centers in Laguna Beach, and none was confirmed inside a shopping center. They sit on Forest Avenue (licensed to Laguna Presbyterian Church), Laguna Canyon Road, St. Ann's Drive and Wesley Drive. For a new center, the zoning text points toward Local Business District (C-1) and Local Business-Professional (LBP) parcels, where nursery schools are listed as a conditional use, more than the C-N or South Laguna Village zones, where no child care or school use is listed at all. Downtown sites are controlled by the Downtown Specific Plan, which has its own use table.
Population
22,710
Median HHI
$143,843
Median age
53.9
Homeownership
66.1%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Pacific Coast Highway · Forest Avenue · Broadway Street · Laguna Canyon Road · Glenneyre Street
Daycare and Education Space operators already in Laguna Beach
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Laguna Beach rents. These are publicly visible daycare and education space businesses currently trading in the market.
Laguna Presbyterian Preschool
415 Forest Avenue, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 105, ages 2 to 5, first licensed in 1974. Licensee is Laguna Presbyterian Church. Forest Avenue is one of the city's main commercial streets.
Anneliese's Preschool, Inc.
20062 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 122, ages 2 through 4.9 years, 7:00 am to 6:00 pm weekdays. The largest center the CDSS search returned for the city.
Montessori School of Laguna Beach
340 St. Ann's Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 84, ages 2 through 6. CDSS status on 2026-09-18 read Licensed/Pending Increase, meaning a capacity increase was in process.
The Sunshine School, LLC
21632 Wesley Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 36, ages 2 1/2 to 6, first licensed in 2022. The license carries a waiver for a shared playground and outdoor-time restrooms.
Anneliese's Preschool Incorporated at Aliso
21542 Wesley Drive, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Listed as a licensed child care center in the CDSS city search. Capacity was not pulled.
What to diligence before LOI
01
In the C-1 Local Business District, nursery schools (25.20.006(S)(6)), public and private schools (25.20.006(M)), musical, theatrical and dancing schools (25.20.006(S)(5)) and studios (25.20.006(S)(12)) are all listed under uses that need a Conditional Use Permit. Plan for a Planning Commission hearing, not an over-the-counter approval.
02
In the LBP Local Business-Professional zone, 25.18.002(M) lists child day care as permitted while 25.18.004(U) lists nursery school as a conditional use. The definitions in Chapter 25.08 describe a nursery school as commercial or philanthropic care of children that is more intensive than home-based child care, so ask planning staff in writing which label they will apply to a licensed center before you sign.
03
The C-N Commercial-Neighborhood chapter (25.19) and the South Laguna Village Commercial chapter (25.25) do not list child care, schools or tutoring. The only path in those zones is the similar-use finding by the Planning Commission under 25.19.006(N) or 25.25.006(O), which is discretionary.
04
For any site inside the Downtown Specific Plan area, Chapter 25.40 says all development regulations are in the Downtown Specific Plan itself. Pull the plan's allowed-use table and confirm the permit type for child care or instruction before relying on Title 25.
05
Outdoor play area is the hard part in Laguna Beach. The Sunshine School's 36-child license on Wesley Drive carries a CDSS waiver for a shared playground, which shows how tight sites are. At 75 sq ft per child, a 36-child program needs 2,700 sq ft of fenced outdoor space unless CDSS grants a waiver.
06
State licensing sets the floor plan before the city does: Title 22 requires 35 sq ft of indoor activity space per child (22 CCR 101238.3), 75 sq ft of outdoor activity space per child enclosed by a fence at least four feet high (22 CCR 101238.2), and a fire clearance requested through CDSS (22 CCR 101171). Size the suite and the play yard against your target licensed capacity before you negotiate.
Sources
Zoning, licensing, and demographic figures on this page come from the public records below. Codes and licenses change, so confirm with the city and the licensing agency before you sign.
- Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.20, C-1 Local Business District (Zoneomics mirror of the code)
- Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.18, LBP Local Business-Professional Zone (Zoneomics mirror)
- Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.19, C-N Commercial-Neighborhood Zone (Zoneomics mirror)
- Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.25, South Laguna Village Commercial Zone (Zoneomics mirror)
- Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.08 definitions (Zoneomics mirror)
- Laguna Beach Municipal Code Chapter 25.40, Downtown Specific Plan (Zoneomics mirror)
- California CDSS Community Care Licensing facility search, child care centers, city = Laguna Beach
- California CDSS Community Care Licensing facility record 300600220 (Laguna Presbyterian Preschool)
- California CDSS Community Care Licensing facility record 300606181 (Anneliese's Preschool, Inc.)
- California CDSS Community Care Licensing facility record 304370573 (Montessori School of Laguna Beach)
- California CDSS Community Care Licensing facility record 304371568 (The Sunshine School, LLC)
- 22 CCR 101238.3, Indoor Activity Space (Cornell LII)
- 22 CCR 101238.2, Outdoor Activity Space (Cornell LII)
- 22 CCR 101171, Fire Clearance (Cornell LII)
- U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B01001 (Sex by Age), retrieved through the Census Reporter API