City of Palm Desert
Home MenuWorkforce Support
High-quality childcare provides a safe and healthy environment for children of working parents. In addition, it helps children develop skills they will need for success in school and in their social lives outside of school.
The City of Palm Desert supports the development of childcare centers within the City. Since 2005, Palm Desert has collected a Childcare Mitigation Impact Fee on new, non-residential development which has helped in the creation of dozens of childcare spaces throughout the City.
The City of Palm Desert no longer requires in-home family daycares to obtain a business license, nor a Large Family Day Care Use Permit (Section 25.64.020), based on the new California State Law Section 1597.45 (b), which states that a local jurisdiction shall not impose a business license, fee, or tax for the privileges of operating a small or large family daycare home.
Please note the Palm Desert Municipal Code does not yet reflect the recent changes of the state law, but it is anticipated that the City will align the zoning ordinance with the state requirements in the next zoning update.
The regulating authority for home day care facilities is the State of California’s Health and Human Services Agency. The Department of Social Services has a division for Community Care Licensing, which issues Child Care licenses. The Child Care Licensing Program distinguishes licenses for both Child Care Centers (CCCs) and Family Child Care Homes (FCCHs) in California. The Department of Social Services website provides helpful step-by-step information and comprehensive online tools, videos, and online orientations to facilitate navigation of the process for obtaining the necessary licensing.
Operators of childcare facilities who would like to learn how they could expand in Palm Desert are encouraged to learn more about the City programs that are available to help them do so. For more information, please contact the City’s Development Services Department at (760) 776-6484.
Useful Links
- How to become a Family Child Care Home Licensee:
- You tube videos from Family Child Care Home Licensing site:
Fact Sheets
- Family Child Care Home Provider Requirements
- Family Child Care Home Capacity Requirements
Additional references
- SB 234: Bill Text - SB-234 Family daycare homes.
- Department of Social Services – Community Care Licensing Division: Community Care Licensing
Frequent Business Terms
Business Support Organizations
-
For contact information to other workforce support entities, please use the list below.
Economic Development Department
- Please review our pamphlet Doing Business in Palm Desert for helpful guidance on operating a business in our city.
- Please contact the City of Palm Desert's Economic Development department for any questions you may have.
Palm Desert iHub
The iHUB is a technology-focused business incubator established by the City of Palm Desert in partnership with the California State University of San Bernardino School of Entrepreneurship and the California State University of San Bernardino Palm Desert Campus (CSUSB).
The objective of the iHUB is to attract technology-based entrepreneurial startup businesses, to promote the creation of high wage-earning jobs, and to house CSUSB’s cybersecurity, entrepreneurship, and hospitality programs. The iHUB is managed by California State University of San Bernardino School of Entrepreneurship (CSUSB) is responsible for managing the day-to-day use of the space, including those who want to work in the co-working areas of the building. CSUSB is also responsible for selecting businesses to incubate in the space and mentoring them throughout their tenure at the iHUB.
The iHUB is located across the street from the CSUSB Palm Desert Campus, to allow for access to the university’s CENIC optical fiber network that can be configured to operate at bandwidths up to 100Gbps. This bandwidth speed will allow incubating businesses to develop products or conduct research at a faster speed than is available elsewhere within the city.
Through its partnerships with CSUSB, the iHUB is poised to make a positive long-term impact on the economy of the Coachella Valley. The Palm Desert iHub is located at 37-023 Cook Street, Suite 102 and open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information and co-working space rates, please visit the iHub website, email pdihub@csusb.edu or call (760) 574-6425.
El Paseo Business Improvement District
The El Paseo Business Improvement District, established by the City of Palm Desert, is the governing board overseeing the promotion of the District. It is managed by a Board of Directors made up of businessmen and women from El Paseo, and appointed by the Palm Desert City Council. The Board meets on a monthly basis. These meetings are open to the public and all El Paseo merchants are encouraged to attend. For more information about the Board, please contact us.