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Lawmakers weigh pilot to let licensed family childcare homes serve up to 12 children
Summary
A broad coalition of family‑childcare providers, business groups and early‑childhood advocates urged the legislature to pilot a program letting licensed family‑childcare homes increase capacity to as many as 12 children with a qualified assistant to quickly add infant‑toddler slots without new construction.
Providers, child‑care advocates and business groups urged the Children Committee to pass a pilot program that would allow licensed family‑childcare homes to increase capacity — helping to address Connecticut’s persistent shortage of infant‑toddler slots.
Representatives of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association, Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, All Our Kin, Child Care for Connecticut and unionized family‑childcare providers told legislators that allowing qualified family providers to serve up to 12 children with a certified assistant would quickly expand local supply without new buildings or large capital costs.
“Often the only thing keeping family childcare providers from expanding is a zoning, fire marshal or group home licensing process,” said Merill Gay of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance. “A pilot that lets providers expand inside their existing homes can add slots fast and preserve local, flexible care.”
Providers said conversion to a formal group‑home license — the current path to serving more children — is expensive and time consuming. Several providers described paying architects and municipal fees when they tried to change to a group license. “I had to spend $14,000 and go through traffic and septic studies,” said provider Dora Ramos of Stamford. “The pilot would allow me to serve more children without moving.”
The Office of Early Childhood told lawmakers it supports testing a large family‑childcare model as a pilot and emphasized the need to retain health and safety standards. Commissioner Beth Bye said OEC already inspects licensed family‑childcare homes annually and that a pilot would let the agency design safeguards and local approval steps that match group‑home requirements.
Business groups framed the move as an economic recovery tool. CBIA pointed out a 11,000‑slot shortfall for children under 3 and said increasing home‑based capacity helps parents return to work. Child advocates and municipalities described “childcare deserts” in parts of the state, particularly rural and some urban neighborhoods.
Several witnesses called for accompanying changes: higher provider reimbursement rates, technical assistance for providers to meet larger capacity safely, and inclusion of family providers in any OEC planning process. Legislators flagged the need for a time‑limited pilot with clear metrics and a pathway to permanent regulation if successful.
No vote was taken; sponsors said they would consult with OEC and provider groups to draft pilot language and implementation details for committee markup.
