Irvine Municipal Code Ch. 3-10 Child Care Center Standards

The following are specific indoor and outdoor standards and regulations for child care centers. The City's Building Official shall be responsible for ensuring that a child care center is in compliance with the City's regulations. Sections 3-10-1.B.3, 3-10-1.C.4, 3-10-1.C.5, and 3-10-1.C.6 do not apply within Planning Area 4 (Lower Peters Canyon). See State standards for child care centers within Planning Area 4.

A. Approvals required. The applicant shall obtain the following: (1) a child day care center license from the State Department of Social Services, (2) a conditional use permit, and (3) a business license from the City of Irvine, prior to operating a child care center in the City of Irvine.

B. Outdoor area development standards.

1. Area requirements per child. The application shall demonstrate that the facility shall meet minimum State requirements for outdoor play areas.

2. Calculating outdoor play areas. The calculation of outdoor play area shall:

a. Exclude any area whose corners are less than a 90-degree angle. This area shall be calculated by measuring the side opposite the acute angle at four feet. (See Exhibit 1 following this section.)

b. Exclude the site's front setback area, as defined in Section 1-2-1.

c. Exclude the site's landscaped streetside setbacks, as defined in Chapter 3-15.

d. Exclude areas covered by buildings or required for minimum off-street parking for all on-site uses.

e. Each age group (infant-toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children) shall have separate outdoor play space.

3. Surface. The play area shall contain the surfaces and improvements listed below:

a. Approved surfaces for those play areas required to meet the minimum State requirements shall consist of an approximately equal mix of:

(1) Pavement.

(2) Wood chips, sand or equivalent approved fall surfaces.

(3) Grass (infant areas shall be predominantly grass).

b. The pavement area shall include a 10-foot-wide roofed patio for yearround use.

c. The pavement area shall include a minimum four-foot-wide walk or roadway for wheel toys.

d. Wood chips, sand or equivalent shall be provided along paths and play equipment.

e. A minimum 100-square-foot fully or partially shaded sandbox shall be provided for preschool outdoor play areas.

f. Wood chips or sand shall be a minimum of eight inches in depth under moving and climbing equipment.

4. Play equipment.

a. Play equipment shall be varied, sturdy, safe, and age appropriate.

b. A minimum six-foot "impact area" (fall zone) shall be provided around each piece of moving or climbing equipment, and an additional area beyond the fall zone needed for recovery from a fall shall be kept clear of all equipment and structures (no-encroachment zone). The Director of Community Development may require a greater fall zone for equipment such as, but not limited to, slides, swings, and climbing apparatus.

c. Play equipment, and no-encroachment and fall zone areas, shall be subject to review and approval by the Director of Community Development.

d. Outdoor covered storage space for play equipment which is visible off-site shall be compatible in color and materials with the existing buildings on-site.

e. Noise. The outdoor play area shall conform to City of Irvine noise standards contained in Section 6-8-201 et seq., of the Irvine Code of Ordinances.

5. Walls and fences. The maximum allowed wall height shall comply with Chapter 3-35 of the City's zoning ordinance governing wall and fence height in institutional districts.

6. Water requirements. Each self-contained play area shall contain a drinking fountain or alternative water source and water faucet.

C. Indoor area development standards.

1. Area requirements per child. The application shall demonstrate that the facility shall meet minimum State requirements for indoor play areas.

2. Indoor activity space. Separate and defined play and activity areas shall be provided for each age group: infant, toddler, preschool and school-age children.

3. Napping equipment. Infants shall be provided with a napping area of no more than 12 cribs per room which is separated from the indoor activity space. If two or more adjacent infant napping rooms are to be observed by one attendant, the common wall shall have upper glazing. There shall be a minimum of three feet of space between cribs that are arranged side by side. The use of "stacking cribs" (placing cribs on top of one another) is prohibited.

4. Drinking water. A sink with hot and cold running water and drinking fountain or alternative water source shall be provided in each classroom.

5. Toilet facilities.

a. Adult restrooms shall meet the standards set forth in the California Building Code.

b. Infant facilities.

(1) A minimum of one changing table per eight infants; minimum three-inch-high guardrails.

(2) A sink shall be in the diaper-changing area and in a location easily accessible to staff.

(3) A minimum of one training seat and/or toilet for every four toddlers being toilet trained shall be provided.

c. Preschool and school-age facilities.

(1) Two separate restrooms with minimum five-foot-high privacy walls, measured from the floor, for school-age boys and girls.

(2) Toilet facilities for preschool and school-age children shall be easily accessible from the classrooms and the outdoor play area.

6. Isolation. A room separate from the indoor activity space equipment shall be provided to care for children who become ill. The isolation area shall be a separate room with a one-fourth to one-half windowed observation wall. The isolation room shall be within reasonable proximity to toilet facilities.

D. Administrative relief. Day care centers which are not consistent with the child care center development standards established per this Chapter 3-10 may apply for administrative relief per Chapter 2-2.

(Code 1976, § V.E-305; Ord. No. 92-3, 4-14-92; Ord. No. 92-21, 11-24-92; Ord. No. 94-7, § 3, 6-14-94; Ord. No. 97-06, § 3, 5-13-97; Ord. No. 03-02, § 4, 1-14-03; Ord. No. 05-16, § 2, 7-12-05; Ord. No. 24-19, § 2(Exh. A), 11-26-24)

[Figure]