Lakewood leads the way in expanding childcare access statewide.
By Kaya Williams
Tricky problems don’t always require complicated solutions.
Consider what the City of Lakewood did to increase access to childcare. A straightforward update to the city’s com-prehensive plan allowed daycare centers to expand to more parts of town, spurring an influx of new businesses and inspiring the state Legislature to require the same approach across Washington.
Prior to the change, Lakewood’s land use code limited commercial childcare centers to just 4% of the city’s total acreage. A city-led analysis of the region conducted in coordination with the South Sound Military and Communities Partnership (SSMCP) affirmed what some residents knew from experience: Lake-wood has “childcare deserts,” or census tracts with three times as many children as there are available childcare slots.
“The areas where the city has the most stark deserts are also the areas that are historically disadvantaged,” says City of Lakewood Planning Division Manager Tiffany Speir.
Another analysis by the state and other partners found that a dearth of child-care availability can exacerbate existing economic disparities, influencing where people open businesses, where they go to work, and even whether they can go to work at all.
A 2024 report by the Municipal Re-search and Services Center noted that 63% of Washington’s population lived in a childcare desert. The report cited a 2019 study by the Washington State Department of Commerce that determined employee turnover and missed work due to childcare access issues cost employers an estimated $2.08 billion annually. The study also found that 27% of parents quit their job or left school or training due to childcare issues.
“This is not just a touchy-feely issue,” Speir says. “It’s actually an economic issue.”
The Lakewood City Council amended the city’s comprehensive plan in 2023 to allow childcare facilities in most commercial zones, which make up more than half of the city’s total acreage. Previously, establishing a new center outside the allowed zones required obtaining a conditional use permit, which can be a lengthy and complicated process.
Lakewood is now serving as a model for other communities across Washing-ton. SB 5509, which the Legislature ad-opted in 2025, requires cities to update zoning codes to allow childcare facilities as an “outright permitted use” in every area except industrial zones, light industrial zones, and open space—reducing the barriers providers might otherwise face in establishing a new facility. The new law allows municipalities to set “reasonable restrictions” on childcare center permits, such as requiring designated pick-up and drop-off areas.
Lakewood itself will do another code update in 2026, Speir says, allowing facilities in even more locations to get a head start on the legislation’s implementation deadlines, which she believes will be an easy sell to most municipalities.
“People often think, ‘If the government’s talking to me, it’s going to be bad news,’” Speir says. “However, this message is a positive one for everyone.”
For more information: cityoflakewood.us