Protections for Family Child Care Providers

Expansion

Physical Space and Facilities

In 2024, the Minnesota legislature passed an omnibus judiciary bill, House File 5216, that included new protections for family child care providers in communities with homeowner associations (HOAs). The measure prevents private entities, such as HOAs and condominium associations, from prohibiting or unreasonably restricting a dwelling owner from providing child care under a family child care license. These entities also cannot impose fees on dwelling owners who provide child care.

learn more: protections for family child care providers

Sources:

Child Care Aware of Minnesota. (2024). Final 2024 Legislative Update.

Minnesota Legislature. (2024). HF 5216.

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.

Learn more about ELS@H findings