Targeted Facilities Expansion to Close Opportunity Gaps

For years, the Child Care Planning and Advisory Council (CPAC) needs assessment has identified seven neighborhoods as the highest priority for increasing the number of early learning spaces. These are the areas where the most families live, yet there hasn’t been enough child care and preschool spaces in these neighborhoods to meet families’ needs. 

In alignment with our strategic plan goals and department values of racial equity and universal access, DEC has been investing aggressively to expand capacity in these priority neighborhoods: Mission, Excelsior, Bayview, Visitacion Valley, Tenderloin, Sunset/Parkside, and Potrero Hill.

These investments have yielded amazing results! We’ve successfully met 100% of preschool capacity needs in these family-rich communities, and the gaps in infant-toddler capacity are rapidly closing.