Both child care centers put in a request for a special-use permit to operate within the city during a June 13 Cedar Park City Council meeting.
Following these applications, some council members acknowledged the need for more child care centers in Cedar Park.
“With the needs that we have for child care, both locally and regionally, I think it’s a good idea to at least let this one go forward,” council member Heather Jefts said during the June 27 meeting.
A closer look
Council approved a special use permit for PACE Preschool during its June 27 meeting.
PACE Preschool is planning to build a 13,266-square-foot building at a 1.3-acre property located near South Bell Boulevard at 1360 Little Elm Trail, Cedar Park. The building will feature an activity center, multiple classrooms, a kitchen, play areas and a park, said Varsha Gudla, a representative of the school, during the June 13 meeting.
The school will have the capacity to accommodate a maximum of 180 students between ages 2-6, Gudla said, and will have about 20 staff members. It will operate from 7 a.m.-6 p.m., with drop-off time from 7-9:30 a.m. and pickup time from 3:30-6 p.m., Gudla said.
Prior to approving the special-use permit for PACE, a few council members expressed concerns regarding the traffic flow on a nearby shared-access road. As one solution to the problem, Gudla said the school will build a private drive off of Little Elm Trail to ease any traffic issues as well as an on-site parking lot with 35 spaces.
Per PACE’s website, the facility is anticipated to open in spring 2026.
Quote of note
“I definitely have heard from a lot of other parents of young kids—it's hard to find a day care in Cedar Park right now, and I think it’s important for us to remain family-friendly,” Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin said.
On the other hand
The other school, Parinama Academy, is looking to settle in a building in Centro Plaza, a 15-acre mixed-use development under construction at 14300 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Cedar Park.
Parinama Academy is proposing to build a 9,100-square-foot building in the back of the development that includes a drop-off and pickup area as well as a play area, Assistant Director of Development Services Andreina Davila-Quintero said.
During the June 13 meeting, council mentioned not having enough details about the proposed project, such as the number of expected students and traffic-related matters, to make a firm decision.
Like PACE, council was scheduled to consider approval for Parinama Academy’s special-use permit during the June 27 meeting. However, Davila-Quintero said the Parinama Academy team requested the consideration be postponed to the July 25 meeting so they can prepare more information.
