In San Luis Obispo County, there is an estimated one licensed child care space for every four children ages 0 to 5. Local research also found particularly limited options for infants and toddlers, while 81% of families seeking child care referrals needed full time care and 73% needed care in order to work.
The impact reaches into our local economy. Research cited in The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County’s 2024 Child Care Report estimated that meeting the low end of the potential need for child care in SLO County could generate more than $108 million in annual economic activity and support or create 425 jobs.
Behind those numbers are families balancing work and the availability and cost of care, employers trying to build a reliable workforce, child care providers navigating a challenging business environment, and communities working to create greater economic opportunity.
And these challenges do not stop at county lines.
Six Counties, One Shared Vision
The Uplift Child Care Coalition brings together community foundations and cross sector partners across six Central Coast counties around a shared challenge and a shared opportunity.
The Coalition grew from regional conversations about the important role child care plays in both child development and economic mobility. By bringing together leaders from philanthropy, early childhood education, economic development, local government, business, planning, and other sectors, Uplift is creating opportunities to share knowledge, identify promising approaches, and work toward solutions that can have impact across the region.
The Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County has been proud to help lead and support this work as part of our broader commitment to strengthening families and communities.
As Community Foundation CEO Christine Dawson explains:
“The Community Foundation is proud to be part of this long term regional effort to expand access to quality child care, strengthen families and the workforce, and advance economic mobility throughout the Central Coast.”
That regional approach matters because child care is a complex system. Expanding access requires more than adding spaces. It means thinking about the people who provide care, the facilities where care can happen, the policies that make expansion easier or harder, the needs of working families, and the role employers and communities can play.
Our local research underscored many of these interconnected challenges, identifying priorities that include strengthening the child care workforce, supporting child care businesses, addressing land use barriers, engaging employers, and incorporating child care more fully into economic development strategies.
Building Momentum Together
The Coalition has moved from shared learning toward a common framework for action.
Partners have developed a Best Practice Portfolio, resources outlining the roles different sectors can play in building child care capacity, and a Shared Vision for Child Care that organizations throughout the Central Coast can endorse and help advance.
This summer, that growing network came together in person. More than 60 participants representing all six counties attended the Uplift Child Care Coalition Showcase Event to share what has been learned, exchange ideas, and help shape the next phase of the work.
That gathering demonstrated one of Uplift’s greatest strengths: child care is no longer a conversation for child care providers alone. Building a stronger system requires participation from people working in economic development, philanthropy, local government, education, planning, business, and other sectors.
What’s on the Horizon
The next phase is focused on moving from shared vision to action.
One promising effort is the Child Care Facilities Action Network, or CCFAN, which addresses one of the practical barriers to expanding child care: finding and developing places where care can actually happen.
Our local research identified restrictive zoning, permitting requirements, fees, and other land use policies among the challenges that can slow the creation of new child care spaces.
Through CCFAN, Child Care Facilities Specialists will participate in nine months of peer learning, fieldwork, land use surveys, coaching, and engagement with planning departments. Cities and counties will also have opportunities to assess their existing land use policies, learn from promising practices across the region, and work alongside specialists to identify opportunities for progress.
It is one example of what becomes possible when communities approach child care as shared infrastructure rather than the responsibility of any one organization or sector.
Add Your Voice
There is significant work still ahead, and the Community Foundation is proud to continue alongside the many partners helping move it forward.
The Uplift Child Care Coalition represents the kind of long term collaboration we believe can create meaningful change: six counties sharing what they know, learning from one another, and working toward a stronger child care system that supports children, families, our workforce, and greater economic mobility throughout the Central Coast.
Now, the Coalition is inviting even more organizations and community leaders to be part of that vision.
Learn more about the Uplift Child Care Coalition
