Downers Grove commissioners have rejected zoning changes that would increase the number of children permitted at home day care centers but left the door open for a communitywide discussion on ideas.

The board last week unanimously rejected a zoning text amendment to increase to 12 the number of children (including the provider’s) allowed at home day care centers.

The proposal was brought forth by Laurance Lilja, who has run a home day care in seven houses in Downers Grove or adjacent unincorporated areas for more than two decades.

“Please keep in mind that I’ve been doing this for 26 years at seven residences, and this is the first compliant we’ve had,” Lilja said.

The complaint came in June 2025 when neighbors informed the village that Lilja was caring for 16 children at her house on Oxford Street.

In-home day care providers only may care for up to eight children, not including their own, according to village ordinance.

The village asked Lilja to comply with the ordinance by September but agreed to stay enforcement if she applied for changes to the ordinance overseeing home day care.

Lilja did that and asked the village to increase to 12 the number of children allowed at a home day care center.

Her proposal was approved in November by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Lilja’s proposal initially called for group day care centers in the village, which allow up to 16 children. She dropped that from the proposal she presented at the Jan. 13 council meeting.

“I’m not pushing for the group thing,” she said.

Lilja said there are only three other home day care centers in the village. They are critical to providing affordable day care because they charge significantly less than day care businesses.

Courtney Rodgers, a second grade teacher in Downers Grove, spoke in support of increasing to 12 the number of children allowed at home day care centers.

She said it was a “modest, reasonable adjustment” that would “help meet a critical need for working families.”

Diana Doyle also encouraged to council to approve the request.

“Let’s find the right way to do this,” Doyle said. “Let’s not put process over people. Let’s not put process over substance. Let’s find the right way to do this because this is important.

“Don’t back away from it because it’s hard.”

Council members said a text amendment was not the appropriate way to make the change.

“We thought this change was big enough to warrant a different process,” Mayor Bob Barnett said.

Commissioner Martin Tully agreed.

“There is a community process we believe very strongly in before making major changes that affect the entire community,” Tully said. “I’m totally sympathetic with the need for affordable child care.”

But that’s not the issue up for consideration. Instead, the process the village would employ to make a change to land use regulations is the concern, he said.

“Would it be so terrible to go from eight to 12? I’m willing to explore that. Not in this context,” Tully said. “Let’s face it. This is about following the rules and expecting someone to follow the rules everyone is expected to follow.”

Barnett closed the discussion, saying the village understands the importance of home day care and already allows it.

“I am not accepting the idea that Downers Grove is saying to the business community (that) we don’t appreciate diversity, that we don’t appreciate accessibility or affordability because we’re asking one current day care operator to operate within the rules we’ve had for a long, long time. That’s not a fair characterization. It’s just not.”