Day Care Owners Express Concerns at Florissant City Council Meeting

When the Florissant City Council prepared to discuss amending in its continued public hearing on Monday night, six day care owners sat in the crowd ready to speak out on the subject.

The owners wanted to voice their objections to passing any law and to allow them to meet and speak with council and the administration before passing a new law.

“This is discouraging for looking ahead to opening new Florissant centers,” Trish Frank, co-owner of . “Day care owners want to help in making new laws and are opposed to the current recommendations.”

Ward 7 Councilwoman Karen McKay, who served as the subcommittee chair to review the recommendations from the Planning and Zoning Commission along with Ward 9 Councilman Ben Hernandez, explained before the owners approached the podium that new commercial day cares would only be affected. Those who currently do business in Florissant or who have or plan to have home day cares will not be affected.

However for Frank and her partner Beth Collins, they requested that they along with several other day care owners be part of the discussion process before a law is passed.

The current draft of the Florissant ordinance includes changes such as

• Establishing a 250 square foot or larger space between day care and liquor establishment
• A 1,000-square-foot play area for children, including one-third of it in grass
• A working landline for anytime availability
• A designated pick-up/drop-off area for children and separate parking for staff, visitors and parents 

Although, Frank and Collins own two day cares in the Florissant area as well as one in St. Charles, the prospect of opening another center could prove impossible with the proposed recommendations.

“We haven’t raised our rates in three years,” Collins said.

Frank said that rates would have to be approximately $300 per week per child if a 6,000 square foot facility were required by the city. The planning and zoning commission study recommended 6,440 square feet for 47 children.

Councilwoman McKay explained during the meeting that the Florissant ordinance would be raised above state minimums. Further, she stated that the council's plan is not to interfere with existing businesses but to regulate the day cares going into strip malls across town. 

"My main thing, if you don't want a day care in a strip mall, then add it in the amendment," Frank said.