In Walla Walla County, there are spots at licensed day cares for only around 20% of kids with working parents. That’s according to the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families.
For infants, the numbers are even more stark. There are around 600 infants with working parents in the county, and only around 60 licensed infant spots.
Addressing that shortage won’t be easy. But, in a bid to help, Walla Walla’s City Council recently passed a zoning change. Now, if providers want to open or expand a facility with 13 or more kids in a commercial area, they no longer have to pay a $600 application fee or hold a public hearing…