Daycare and Education Space in Westminster

What to diligence before LOI

1. 01

   Zoning: we could not read Westminster's Title 17 use tables or its child day care standards, so before you sign get written confirmation from the Planning Division of the permit type for a child day care center or tutoring use in the property's zone, the parking ratio, and any outdoor play or drop-off standards.

2. 02

   Outdoor play area is the hard part in Little Saigon centers along Bolsa Avenue and Brookhurst Street, where parking fields are busy. Title 22 requires 75 square feet of outdoor activity space per child with a fence at least four feet high (22 CCR 101238.2), so a 60-child preschool needs about 4,500 square feet of yard. Ask the landlord where that can go before you tour.

3. 03

   Indoor sizing: 35 square feet of activity space per child, not counting bathrooms, halls, offices, kitchens and storage (22 CCR 101238.3). Montessori Children's World on Edwards Street is licensed for 60 and Teachable Moments on Garden Grove Boulevard for 30, which gives a sense of the smaller private formats already operating.

4. 04

   Fire clearance under 22 CCR 101171 is required before CDSS will license. Ask what occupancy the suite has today and who pays for any change.

5. 05

   Supply: seven of the 15 Day Care Center licenses are Westminster School District preschools, and the district's Land center on Temple Street has a capacity increase pending. Look at how a private center would sit alongside that public supply in the specific neighborhood.

6. 06

   Tutoring and enrichment do not need a child care license, but hours, age ranges and drop-in care can change that. If the program keeps children under school age or runs like after-school care, ask the CDSS Orange County regional office (714-703-2800) whether a license applies.