Child Care Call to Action Zoning Challenges Public Comment from Mrs. CorinneAimee Brunckhorst
From: Corinne Kuntz <tbn.director@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2022 5:30 PM
To: Mark Johnson; Kalispell Meetings Public Comment; planning.zoning@flathead.mt.gov
Cc: Jennifer Sevier; Renee August; Eliza Thomas; Monte Gilman; Lorraine Clarno
Subject: EXTERNAL Child Care Call to Action Zoning Challenges
Mayor Mark Johnson,
Kalispell City Council Members,
and Flathead County Zoning Officials:
Licensed child care spots in Flathead County currently only fill 28-33% of the demand — that is one spot for
every three children. As the fastest growing county in Montana in 2021, at a rate of 3.5%, the child care crisis
in our community is only getting worse. With these figures in mind, it is vitally important to grow early
childhood education opportunities in Kalispell.
With the goal of positively impacting our local economy, I have recently joined forces with the Kalispell
Chamber of Commerce Child Care Call to Action committee and many other key community members to
deliver child care solutions for area residents.
The Birds Nest, a nature based early childhood education program, was established in 2014. Since its
inception, I have focused on providing a high -quality early childhood education program for our students, our
teachers, our families, and our community. Today, The Birds Nest consists of four in -home programs. With
the current child care crisis and over 100 children on our waitlist (over 70% being infants under 2 years of age),
I am looking to open a large center that will continue to build upon the high level of quality that we have
achieved thus far. I hope to break ground this summer and open our doors to families with young children
(ages 6 weeks to 12 years of age) by the end of 2023.
Now that I am ready to move forward, I am finding zoning to be my biggest hurdle. A large "day care center",
like the one I plan to build, is only permitted in city zones B2, B3, and B4 and county zones B 1-4/6, BR-4, 1-1,
and 1-1 H. The few lots that I have found within permitted zones are outside of my budget at almost $1 M and
many are not large enough to offer a quality outdoor learning space.
A few of the lots that are within my budget and would allow for a high -quality outdoor space, are located in
zones that permit or conditionally permit K-12 schools (public, private, and/or commercial); however, large child
care centers (schools for young students) are not permitted. The affordable lots that I have found are 538
Cemetery Road (County Zone SAG-10), Nhn Sunnyside Drive (City Zone R-1), a few lots on Old School Drive
(County Zone 1-1), and 1014 8th Avenue West (City Zone R-4).
Outside of my situation, there are other child care providers that are looking to expand or open up programs
throughout the valley that are struggling to find locations within allowable zones and that also have sufficient
outdoor space.
My hope is that we can collaborate on a solution for our community and the dire need for more high -quality
early childhood education programs, ultimately positively impacting our local economy. I look forward to
hearing from you and providing any additional information you may need regarding the child care climate
throughout our beautiful city and surrounding area.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Corinne
Village Founder/Owner
TheBirdsNestELV.com
The Birds Nest - Early Learning Village
86/89/90/91 Northern Lights Blvd. Kalispell, MT 59901
406.404.5645 (phone)
406.730.5025 (fox)
Office Hours:
7:00am to 5:00pm Monday thru Friday
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