Childcare Incubator
Hybrid family childcare incubators are a recent Connecticut legislative innovation allowing family childcare providers to open in a shared commercial space under an incubating sponsor. Only 20 incubators will be approved statewide, and Havenly is becoming one of them.
What We Do
- Participants will attend six months of stipended training (business basics, English, digital literacy) with.
- Graduates of the program will be eligible to open a business in our incubator, with three slots available Havenly will cover rent for the first two years, allowing women to learn how to run a business while building cooperative skills through shared decision-making
What We've Achieved in 2025
- Two refugee women opened licensed family childcare homes, immediately serving 12 children
- Tested opening a worker-owned childcare center with four graduates
- Secured a long-term lease for Havenly’s incubator site Engaged pro bono architects and began environmental testing to prepare for OEC licensing
Timeline
1
Winter 2025
Begin the first 6-month stipend-based childcare entrepreneurship cohort
2
Fall 2026
Open the hybrid incubator, serving up to 36 children, including flexible and afterhour care
3
2026 -2027
Incubate three family childcare centers, encourage cooperation, and plan for next incubation cohort
“By investing in women as educators and entrepreneurs, Havenly is growing a childcare system rooted in trust, dignity, and community ownership.”
Made possible with funding from:
