Chesterfield Planning Commission considers home day care limit - NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News

The Chesterfield Planning Commission is trying to figure out how many children is too many in home-based day cares.

However, members are realizing that it is not easy to come up with an answer. They met Monday afternoon to set a limit on how many children can be in a home-based daycare, which would depend on the home's square feet. However, the commission decided to table this issue until its February meeting.

Right now, in-home day cares can have no more than 12 children at a time. This is in addition to the provider's own children.

Some say the commission does not have the authority to say how many children can be in a home. Others point to other states that have a "square-foot-per-child requirement," but it can be tricky because, for example, babies don't need as much room as nine-year-olds.

Commission members say they want regulations in place that will protect the children in day care as well the day care's neighbors.

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