San Diego exploring legislation to help lower child care costs

April 17-- Apr. 17--San Diego --

San Diego officials have begun exploring new policies aimed at making child care more affordable locally, including vouchers for families, subsidies for city employees and looser zoning regulations to allow more child care facilities to open.

Local employers say the high cost of child care is a major hurdle in recruiting and retaining quality workers, and economic analysts say the problem is holding back the region's prosperity by keeping people out of the workforce.

"It is a significant barrier that limits the supply of talent in San Diego," Jordan Latchford, a policy and economic research official with the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, told the City Council's economic development committee last week.

Councilman Chris Ward is creating a regional roundtable of government officials and social service agencies to discuss the issue, which affects low-income neighborhoods south of Interstate 8 more than other areas.

A 2017 study by the University of San Diego found that 148,000 child care slots were needed, but that only 83,000 were available. The three neighborhoods with the largest child care gaps were Encanto, Paradise Hills and Logan Heights.

Ward, chairman of the economic development committee, said he plans to present policy recommendations later this year after further analyzing the problem and potential solutions.

"Too many San Diegans are caught in an impossible situation: ensuring the safety and education of their children, or pursuing economic mobility and meaningful career advancement," Ward said. "It's counterproductive to the success of our region and our mission to respond to the needs of our constituents. But attainable solutions do exist."

Ward said he has first-hand experience with the problem as a father of two children below age 5.

"Just to even find a space is a problem, let alone an affordable space that offers quality care because you're entrusting your entire child's development," he said. "We feel like it's almost a second mortgage sometimes."

Local families with young children pay $13,000 per year on average for child care, the USD study found.

Councilwoman Barbara Bry said employers frequently tell her that help with child care is the No. 1 request they get from workers, but she said employers are reluctant to offer subsidies because of concerns about singling out a specific group of their workers.

"They believe the solution must be on a larger scale," she said.

___

(c)2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune

Visit The San Diego Union-Tribune at www.sandiegouniontribune.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.