Sunnyvale welcomes and strongly supports the establishment of child care facilities. This brochure explains the various codes and processes related to establishing a child care facility. For information about existing facilities in the City, child care networks, and other resources, see our Child Care Resources page.
Here are the following steps you need to go through to get approval for your new child care use.
- Read the Planning Division Child Care requirements Please contact the Planning Division at (408)730-7440 or planning@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us if you have further questions or need an application packet to get started. Planning permits must be approved before you can move on to the building permit and state licensing steps.
- Review the State of California Community Care Licensing requirements. (This link will take you the State of California's website).
- Review the Building Division's requirements for Building Day Care Uses. If you are starting a commercial child care center, we encourage you to talk to the Building Division as soon as possible, as there can be many upgrades/modifications required for a child care. Please contact the Building Division at building@ci.sunnyvale.ca.us or (408)730-7444.
- All child care uses, except for small family day cares, require Fire Clearance with the Fire Prevention Unit.