Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that the ordinance must still go before the Leander City Council.
The Leander Planning and Zoning Commission members approved an increase in the number of children allowed at in-home daycares in residential neighborhoods from five to six May 28, taking a step toward match the regulations of neighboring cities.
If approved by the Leander City Council, in-home daycares would be allowed to look after an additional child. The commission also voted down a motion that would have allowed in-home daycares to earn a permit to care for six additional children after school.
In a nutshell
While the state passed Senate Bill 599 in September to provide regulatory uniformity across in-home daycares, differences still exist between cities. At an April 16 City Council meeting, city staff presented research on surrounding cities’ regulations.
By allowing up to six children to be cared for at an in-home daycare, Leander now matches the base number of children allowed at residential daycares in surrounding cities like Cedar Park, Georgetown, Round Rock, Taylor and Hutto.
However, the commission voted 5-1 against a proposed ordinance that would have allowed in-home daycares to look after six children under the age of 14 as well as six additional children between the ages of 5 and 13, provided the daycare met the city’s regulations.
Under this plan, daycares seeking to look after a total of 12 children after school would have needed to receive a permit from the city, meet the city’s proposed criteria for parking and traffic, ensure the center’s hours of operation didn’t interfere with neighborhood quiet hours, and maintain standards for outdoor play areas.
This expanded option would have mirrored existing conditions in Cedar Park and Georgetown.
What they’re saying
Members of the commission who voted against the expanded option said that 12 children at an in-home daycare center was too many for them to approve.
“For me, it was the numbers, as well as safety for the children,” Joseph Morales said. “When you're getting in and out of cars, the streets, how things are designed, how it's laid out—residential neighborhoods are not really designed for that.”
James Oliver, the sole vote in favor of the option for up to 12 children, noted that neighborhoods already experience increased traffic from delivery services such as Amazon and DoorDash.
“Most of these pick up and drop offs are short periods of time, so there really shouldn't be that much of a burden beyond what Amazon or DoorDash drops off at your home,” Oliver said. “You're going there, you're picking up your kid and then you're moving.”
Oliver was the sole vote against the amended ordinance, which raises the number of children from five to six.
Commissioner Tyler Bray recused himself from the vote.
