Board forwards recommendation to allow DDK Learning & Play Center to operate a large family day care at 1409 W. 35th St.

The Riviera Beach Planning & Zoning Board unanimously voted to forward a recommendation to City Council approving a site-plan application and special exception for DDK Learning and Play Center to operate a large family day-care home at 1409 West 35th Street.

Senior planner Juan Suarez presented the application and said the property’s land use is single-family and the current zoning RSA requires a minimum of two parking spaces for the conversion. Suarez told the board that zoning, fire, utilities, engineering and the building official reviewed the application and determined it to be code-compliant with Chapter 31, section 31-544 (childcare).

An applicant for DDK Learning and Play Center told the board she has operated a home childcare for six years and is seeking to convert a small family child-care home to large; she said she expects to operate fewer than 12 children (perhaps 10) depending on licensed space and state licensing rules and noted staff training and CPR requirements for caregivers.

Board members asked about employee counts (applicant: two additional workers), parking and hours of operation (applicant said current hours are about 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.; she noted many providers hold licenses permitting up to 23 hours but are not operating overnight). Following discussion, the board moved, seconded and voted unanimously to forward the recommendation for approval (yes votes by Anthony Brown, Marie Davis, R. Williams, Sandra Stringer and Chair William Wiley).

The recommendation will be forwarded to City Council; any change of capacity or overnight care requires appropriate licensing from the state and county health and child-care authorities and final site-plan approval.