The Child Care Navigator shall: coordinate with the appropriate County agencies and other public entities in the County to facilitate the use of County-owned buildings and other public facilities, including but not limited to schools, recreation centers, libraries, and community centers, for child care programs and before and after school care programs; develop standardized memoranda-of-understanding (MOUs) to allow child care programs and before and after school care programs to operate in County facilities without site-by-site negotiation; and work with the Department of Permitting, Inspections, and Enforcement to ensure a streamlined inspection process for operators of child care programs and before and after school care programs operating in public spaces.

The Child Care Navigator shall compile and maintain an inventory of County-owned or controlled property that is determined to be suitable for use as child care. The suitability of property for use as child care shall be evaluated based on: local availability of and demand for child care in the area of the project; and the compatibility of child care with existing uses of the property; the condition and accessibility of the property; the cost associated with any modifications to the property necessary for use as child care; conformity of child care facilities to applicable zoning and land use plans; and any additional criteria deemed useful in making the assessment. The inventory shall be updated annually.

For each applicable capital project in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) during facility planning, the Office of Management and Budget shall include in or transmit with the CIP an analysis of: the feasibility of including child care facilities in the project; and what capital or operating budget modifications, if any, would be needed to include child care facilities in the project. The child care analysis submitted by the Office of Management and Budget should discuss at least the following issues related to the capital project: compatibility of child care with the underlying project; local availability of and demand for child care in the area of the project; and conformity of child care facilities to applicable zoning and land use plans. Each child care analysis under this Section should assign highest priority to the provisions of high quality child care in areas where the provision of child care may not otherwise be financially feasible due to large numbers of low-income parents and the resulting need for significant subsidies. As used in this section, applicable capital project means any proposed building project administered by the Office of Central Services. In performing its analysis, the Office of Management and Budget should consult the Department of Health, the Department of Social Services, the Department of Family Services, the Planning Board, and any other County department or agency with expertise in child care. The Council may in the annual budget ordinance exempt from this Section a capital project or category of capital projects which by their nature do not require child care analysis.