Family child care (FCC) is an essential part of the nation’s early care and education infrastructure. But, exclusionary housing and zoning practices threaten the hopes of educators looking to open, maintain, and expand their businesses. In states without clear legal protections, landlords and community associations can outright ban or limit the operation of FCC programs.
Along with housing constraints, restrictive local zoning also hinders the growth of home-based child care. Without proper safeguards, municipalities may enforce regulations that go beyond long-standing licensing standards, often requiring educators to obtain special permits or variances before they can operate – typically at a cost.
Several states, including California, Oregon, and Nevada, Connecticut, are taking action to address the discriminatory housing and zoning practices. In Connecticut, All Our Kin partnered with educator leaders and advocates from across the state to take a stand, challenging these barriers and ultimately securing a significant victory for family child care providers.
The Challenge: Gaps in Existing FCC Protections
Connecticut law aimed to protect the state's child care supply by prohibiting the use of local zoning to restrict family care programs. While these protections were intended to provide a safety net for FCC providers, they were often ignored or circumvented. This left many family child care programs vulnerable, while larger group child care centers received more robust protections.
Additionally, gaps in statutory protections significantly increased the cost of opening a group child care program. In many areas, this high cost resulted in what amounted to a de facto ban on group child care homes. FCC providers faced financial, legal and logistical challenges that made expansion nearly impossible.
The Solution: A Multi-Year Advocacy Effort
Despite setbacks, family child care educators took action and 2019 marked the beginning of a multi-year advocacy effort that expanded state protections for home-based child care. After years of legislative advocacy, Governor Ned Lamont signed Public Act No. 23-142 into law on June 26, 2023.
This law extends crucial protections to group child care homes, cementing home-based child care as a right for providers. By removing key barriers, the law supports educators in confidently growing their businesses and better meeting the increasing demand for child care services across the state.
For family child care educator Dora Ramos, the bill's passage has reignited her hope. Ramos, who had nearly given up on opening a group child care home due to zoning challenges, is now in the process of reapplying for the necessary licenses.
The bill has made a big difference. It’s helping people like me and others to keep moving forward and not give up. My dream is to expand and to serve more families," Ramos shared.
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The impact of the bill reaches educators, families and children across Connecticut, who now have greater access to safe, high-quality child care within their communities. This victory serves as a powerful reminder that local zoning practicies and housing policies must evolve to support the growing demand for home-based child care.
As attention on early childhood continues to grow, it is essential that policymakers address the housing and zoning restrictions that disproportionately impact family child care providers. In doing so, they can ensure that more children and families have access to the care they need.
Key Recommendations for Supporting Family Child Care
To further protect, support and sustain family child care, we offer the following recommendations to state leaders:
- Strengthen landlord-tenant protections for family child care providers to ensure they can operate their businesses without fear of unjust eviction or limitations.
- Address restrictive covenants and local zoning that unfairly limit the ability of FCC providers to expand and meet community need.
- Promote affordable housing and homeownership initiatives to support FCC providers in securing stable locations for their businesses
Check out the resources below for more on how states can protect family child care from discriminatory housing and zoning practices:
- Safeguarding & Strengthening Housing Access for Family Child Care
- States Take Legislative Action to Ease the Burdens Facing Family Child Care Providers
- New State Laws Will Ease Housing Burdens on Home-Based Child Care Providers
The success in Connecticut offers a model for other states looking to make meaningful changes in the early childhood sector.