I oppose the elimination of the exemptions § 63.2-1715 of the Code of Virginia. Eliminating these exemptions would hurt businesses that allow child minding services to be offered in settings that would be unable to adhere to all licensing requirements, such as businesses providing drop-in care for children while adults utilize services on-site (i.e. churches, yoga studios, gyms, co-working spaces, etc). These services are needed in our state to support healthy parents and families.

Eliminating these exemptions will only hurt parents and inflict financial strain on families who utilize these services. For example, my yoga studio - a small veteran/woman owned business - offers child minding for our classes to allow moms and dads an opportunity to workout, a chance they wouldn’t get if this service wasn't offered. Most of our clients are military spouses and having our service with child minding is the only option they get to take a break when their spouse is deployed for months on end. In addition, this service provides flexible jobs, specifically for military spouses, who otherwise have limited opportunities for employment with small children.

As a parent, I utilize and am grateful for the availaibility of these types of services here and elsewhere - church religious instruction and nursery care, after school language and STEM classes. Taking away these exceptions would not only hurt these small local businesses financially but also hurt these families who need these services. Please reconsider making this change.