Complete Story
08/29/2025
New School Year, Same Childcare Questions for Community Associations
New School Year, Same Childcare Questions for Community Associations
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A new school year starts, and with it comes a question for many working parents — who will watch my children after school? A growing need for affordable, quality childcare is something state and local governments are seeking to address through a variety of policy tools. CAI encourages community associations to use this as an opportunity to discuss their own capacity for home-based childcare facilities.
The fundamental workforce shifts seen from 2020 onward led to increased commercial activity in communities across the country, and with it is an increased need for key services to be located closer to home. CAI recognizes the importance of balancing the growing need for quality childcare facilities with the fundamental right of community associations to self-govern. State and local governments forget that reasonable rules and regulations are needed to allow for non-residential services and activities in residential communities while balancing broader community issues. Home-based childcare facilities present unique challenges to community associations, encompassing concerns such as access to common elements, liability, and use of amenities.
In Residential Childcare Facility Public Policy, CAI lays out a series of recommended rules and regulations governing the presence of home-based childcare facilities, including requirements for insurance coverage and undue impacts on traffic and parking. Not every community can accommodate the needs of home-based childcare facilities on top of the needs of existing residents, particularly in condominium and townhome communities.
Communities with common elements such as walls and roofs and amenities such as pools and playgrounds should be given a chance to make informed decisions regarding whether they can reasonably accommodate a home-based childcare facility without noticeably impacting existing residents. State and local governments should not be imposing one-size-fits-all solutions or forcing rushed decisions.
For a list of state statutes governing home-based childcare facilities in community associations, visit CAI’s Daycare-Related State Statutes and Rules guidance document.
