SB 234, known as the Keeping Kids Close to Home Act, is a California law passed in 2019 that prohibits localities from requiring family child care (FCC) providers to obtain a zoning permit or business license to operate a child care program in their home. The law also states that landlords cannot evict FCC providers or refuse to rent to them because they plan to operate a child care business out of their home. This applies to small FCC providers, who care for up to eight children, and large FCC providers, who care for up to 14 children.
The Keeping Kids Close to Home Act also specifies that home-based child care programs can operate in many types of residences, including single-family homes, condominiums, apartments, townhomes, duplexes, and all other multi-family buildings. It went into effect on January 1, 2020.
Sources:
Child Care Law Center. (n.d.). Know the Law: The Keeping Kids Close to Home Act.
Sullivan, E. T. (2023). New State Laws Will Ease Housing Burdens on Home-Based Child Care Providers. EdSurge.
Connections to Key Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) Findings:
High-quality, affordable early education and care supports children’s healthy development and allows families to work, engage in their own educational pursuits, and/or participate in other aspects of community life. To support children and families in these instrumental ways, research suggests there is a need to expand the availability of early education opportunities across the mixed-delivery system.
Findings from the Early Learning Study at Harvard (ELS@H) show:
- Families rely on a range of formal (e.g., Head Start, center-based care, public pre-K) and more informal (e.g., home-based, relative care) early education settings; when choosing a setting for their child, families balance many logistical constraints and personal preferences.
- But for many families – and especially low- and middle-income families – early education choices remain tightly constrained due to issues of affordability and supply.