Building Better for Families
Policy Strategies for the Co-Location of Early Care and Education Facilities and Affordable Housing
NCFN co-chair LIIF shares a research paper outlining policy incentives to co-locate early care and education (ECE) facilities with affordable housing.
Co-locating ECE facilities with affordable housing developments is a promising strategy to support low income families by improving family access to two vital sources of household stability and economic mobility. Access to high quality care supports child development during their critical early years; it is also a cornerstone of economic stability for families by allowing parents to participate in the workforce while knowing their child is cared for in a safe environment. Co-location is also a practical strategy to work across silos and deliver two critical community amenities in an efficient, sustainable and user-friendly manner.
There remain many logistical and financial challenges that impede the ability to complete more of these projects in communities where families would benefit from the co-location of these two sources of support. Although no single policy change will result in a sudden surge of co-location developments, a combination of local, state, and federal policies can lead to more intentional co-location efforts. Read the policy strategies in the paper >
Featured Projects
Plaza Roberto Maestas
Seattle, Washington
El Centro is a nonprofit organization that runs over 40 community programs in the Seattle area. The organization manages a child care center, and decided to build affordable housing on adjacent land that they owned to build in additional supports for the community. The site is also a transit-oriented development, located across the street from a light rail station. Enterprise Community Partners was a key contributor to the development, providing funding and technical assistance through their Home & Hope initiative.
North Beach Place
San Francisco, California
This development is located in the North Beach neighborhood, which is home to many Chinese immigrants. The Head Start center is a dual language program. BRIDGE Housing designed the development such that the center courtyard is also the outdoor space used by Kai Ming. This solved a common co-location problem of where to include the required ECE outdoor space and connected the center to other residents who call North Beach Place home.
Trianon Lofts
Chicago, Illinois
The owner of Teeny Tiny University was previously operating out of her home and was looking to expand her business. Aspects that made the development successful were an SBA loan for the build out, an architect with deep experience in child care regulations, and an adjacent playground to meet the outdoor space requirement. Woodlawn Park was selected as a HUD Choice Neighborhood grant recipient, and the Trianon Lofts building is one of multiple affordable housing developments constructed with help of the grant.