The first five years of a child’s life lays the groundwork for their lifelong learning, behavior, and overall health and well-being.

Recent attempts by private equity (PE) firms to enter the child care sector raise significant concerns for children and families. The child care field has been built over decades through federal, state, local, and philanthropic investments that support a broad system of family services and community infrastructure. This brief outlines the background of PE involvement and explains the risks that such investment poses to the child care sector.

For over 50 years, California’s Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) system has been foundational in serving families and child care providers in every zip code in 58 counties across the state. These community-based agencies provide comprehensive, coordinated, and cost-effective child care and development services for hundreds of thousands of children from infancy to 13 years of age, parents, and caregivers.

The Burbank child care needs assessment provides an overview of the current child care preferences of Burbank families and those who work in the Burbank community. Our study finds that Burbank not only needs more spaces for child care, but there is also a need for different types of child care such as programs that better suit a working families’ eight-hour work-day schedule or additional services for children with special needs. To address the needs of families working or living in Burbank, we have composed a list of recommendations based on the findings of this community assessment.