Bridging the justice gap in New York

Working with community based not-for-profit corporations can be a rewarding and exciting pro bono experience for attorneys. Among the most challenging and rewarding work is that being done to support nonprofit child care centers and family based childcare networks.

Regulated child care is most often provided in one of two settings, either a child care center or the home of a registered child care provider. Under New York State law, a child care center is a program or facility in which day care is provided on a regular basis to seven or more children in a facility which is not a personal residence. Nonprofit and for profit child care centers in New York City must both comply with the regulations of the New York City Department of Health. In addition, however, nonprofit child care centers are regulated by the New York State Attorney General, the New York State Department of State, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services, and, if exempt from taxation, the Internal Revenue Service. Lawyers Alliance assists nonprofit child care centers with a variety of issues including: incorporation and tax exemption; corporate governance; real estate issues and personnel issues

Family Child Care Networks are support organizations run by community based organizations to foster the training and organizing of family child care providers. These providers are entrepreneurs who establish child care businesses in their own homes and who are legally authorized to care for up to six children. In New York City, family day care providers are licensed and regulated by the New York State Office of Families and Children and the New York City Department of Health. Lawyers Alliance assists family child care networks with a variety of issues including: limiting potential network liability; drafting of model contracts and advising networks as to the employment status of providers.

Lawyers Alliance provides ongoing support to the attorneys who accept child care cases. Each case that is placed with a pro bono attorney is also assigned to one of our in-house legal staff who co-counsel on the case and are always available to answer your questions and to assist in any way possible. Additionally, as a service to the legal community we have included in our "Library" a number of model documents which can be used to assist nonprofit child care organizations.

We are confident that if you choose to assist a not-for-profit child care organization that it will not only add to your own legal knowledge but also enable you to give something back to your community.

Go back to About Community Development and Nonprofit Law