Help for LGBTQ Families Seeking Child Care
LGBTQ families may have additional concerns in finding child care.
Resources
Outfront Minnesota
Resources for LGBTQ community for equality, opportunities, and protection of rights.
Family Equality Council
Advancing legal and lived equality for LGBTQ families through building community, changing hearts and minds, and driving policy change.
Queer Birth Project
Providing high quality, accessible, affordable education and support for queer folks in fertility, pregnancy, birth, and early parenting.
Transforming Families
Peer network of resources and support groups for transgender, gender non-conforming, and questioning youth and their families.
Guiding Questions
LGBTQ parents may want to observe and ask the following questions directly to child care programs they are considering.
Observations and Questions for Programs:
- Do the program’s written materials and website include an inclusive nondiscrimination statement?
- Do they display photos and images that show diverse family structures?
- Do dolls and dress-up materials reflect a range of family types and gender expression?
- Are there books that feature LGBTQ families and children?
- Are applications and parent communications friendly to all families (for example, use of “parent/guardian” instead of “mother/father”)?
- Do you have any experience caring for children from families similar to ours?
- Do your toys and books reflect a range of families, including LGBTQ families?
- How would you handle questions from other children directed to my child about his/her/their family?
- How do you model and teach about gender roles?
- Do you have LGBTQ staff or staff who are familiar with the LGBTQ community?
- Do staff receive anti-bias training on a regular basis? Do you use an anti-bias curriculum?
- Do you have a formal anti-discrimination policy in place?
- Are you open to learning more?