Tustin / Central Orange County
Newport Avenue is the clear cluster. The state license list shows four licensed centers on it (Kiddie Academy at 14501, Tustin Preschool at 14211, Newport Ave Preschool at 13682 and Grace Harbor at 12881), with more on Red Hill Avenue and El Camino Real. In the newer part of the city, Great Foundations Montessori holds a 140-child license on Kensington Park Drive and has an increase pending. The District at Tustin Legacy's own directory did not show a child care or tutoring tenant when we checked.
Population
78,981
Median HHI
$112,503
Median age
37.5
Homeownership
48.8%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.
Primary retail corridors
Jamboree Road · Barranca Parkway · Newport Avenue · Red Hill Avenue · El Camino Real · Irvine Boulevard
Specific shopping centers in Tustin that already carry credible co-tenancy for this use. Listed in approximate order of fit.
2201–2895 Park Avenue
Anchors / key tenants: Whole Foods Market, Costco, Target, Lowe's
Size: 1,000,000 SF
Vestar's million-SF lifestyle center at Barranca/Jamboree — pulls from Tustin, Irvine, and the OC Great Park edge. Recent leasing: Jini Mini, Café 86, Activate Games, and Le Macaron. The mix also includes Nothing Bundt Cakes and Pinot's Palette.
Existing operators are the most honest comp for whether a use can support Tustin rents. These are publicly visible daycare and education space businesses currently trading in the market.
Kiddie Academy of Tustin
14501 Newport Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 72. The operator's page says it serves infants from 6 weeks through kindergarten.
Tustin Preschool
14211 Newport Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 45.
Newport Ave Preschool & Kindergarten
13682 Newport Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 70.
Adventures in Learning II
1111 El Camino Real, Tustin, CA 92780
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 79.
Red Hill Montessori Preschool
13806 Red Hill Avenue, Tustin, CA 92780
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 56.
Great Foundations Montessori (Tustin)
15140 Kensington Park Drive, Tustin, CA 92782
CDSS licensed day care center, capacity 140, with a capacity increase pending. Licensee La Petite Academy Inc.
01
Tustin City Code Section 9232(b) lists day care centers as a conditionally permitted use in the C1 Retail Commercial District, and private schools are also a conditional use there. The C2, C3 and CG districts carry forward the C1 permitted uses, so ask the City to confirm the day care listing for those zones. Budget time for a conditional use permit on any licensed child care deal.
02
The same Section 9232(a) lists tutoring facilities and instructional studios as permitted uses in C1, which makes a Kumon, Mathnasium, music or martial arts concept a much simpler deal than a licensed preschool in the same center.
03
The day care listing in Section 9232 points to Section 9271(aa), which the code copy we read shows as repealed by Ordinance 1524 in August 2022. Ask the Community Development Department which development standards now apply to day care centers.
04
Parking under Section 9263 Table 1: child day care centers need one space per employee on the maximum shift plus one space per 5 children, or one per 10 children if adequate drop-off facilities are provided. Tutoring facilities and instructional studios need one space per instructor plus one per 3 students present at one time. On Newport Avenue strip centers, test these against the stalls the landlord can actually assign.
05
Sites in Tustin Legacy, including The District, fall under a specific plan rather than the C1 or CG rules. Confirm the use list for that planning area with the City before you spend money on plans.
06
State licensing sets the floor plan before the city does: 22 CCR 101238.3 requires 35 square feet of indoor activity space per child (bathrooms, halls, offices, kitchens and storage do not count), 22 CCR 101238.2 requires 75 square feet of outdoor activity space per child with a fence at least four feet high and a shaded rest area, 22 CCR 101239 requires one toilet and one handwashing fixture for every 15 children, and 22 CCR 101171 requires a fire clearance. Size the suite and the play yard to your target licensed capacity before you negotiate.
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.