Project overview: Construct and reopen a childcare center in Yosemite Valley that supports working families in the park, employee retention, new staff recruitment, dual-career families, and women in the workplace.

How your support helps: In early 2024, the Yosemite National Park Child Care Center had to abruptly close its facilities in Yosemite Valley after a new federal regulation required the center to be licensed in the state of California. State licensing introduced new policies, and because the center was operating in an old National Park Service (NPS) housing unit, the structure was not deemed adequate for licensing and was forced to close.  

The center’s loss left families — primarily NPS, Conservancy, and hospitality staff who provide critical services to Yosemite — scrambling without childcare options. A safe child care center in Yosemite Valley is crucial for retaining employees, successfully recruiting new staff, supporting women in the workplace, and supporting working families. The sudden loss of this center, which had enabled dual-career Yosemite families to live and work in the park since the early 1980s, threatens the longevity and stability of family communities in the park. The Valley Child Care center is also an essential feeder program for the historic Yosemite Valley School, another critical part of the community at risk of future failure if the child care center is not reestablished in Yosemite Valley.  

With your support, this project would establish a new center in Yosemite Valley that fulfills all NPS and California state licensing requirements. Park administrators have identified an existing location within the medical clinic that will be transformed into a space designed specifically for Yosemite’s unique childcare needs. 

This year: In early 2026, construction will begin on the new child care center in Yosemite Valley. Over eight months, staff will make minor to moderate building upgrades, reopen the child care center, and complete licensing requirements. Construction is expected to be completed by August 2026, with child care re-established that same month for park and partner families. By re-establishing childcare in Yosemite Valley, your support not only supports the next generation of park stewards but also supports all park programs that are run by employees who need adequate care for their children. 

Project partners: Yosemite National Park; Yosemite National Park Child Care Center (YNPCCC), Yosemite Medical Clinic