Designed to help family day care providers and the agencies that support them reform local zoning laws that make it difficult or impossible to legally care for children in their homes, this guide outlines the process of obtaining a use permit, changing local laws, and strategizing for the passage of state legislation that preempts local laws. A brief introduction is followed by sections on: (1) local zoning laws and zoning decision makers; (2) the process of educating decision makers about family day care; (3) ways to counter community resistance; (4) the process of obtaining a zoning permit; (5) the process of changing local law; (6) legal challenges; and (7) the process of enacting state preemption laws. Nine appendices include a child care fact sheet, a national directory of child care resource and referral agencies, a list of selected child care resource organizations, a selection from the San Mateo (California) County text amendment procedure for the amendment of the county's ordinance code, the City of San Bruno's (California) brochure on the city's use permit, a statement of the American Planning Association's policy implementation principles on the provision of child care, a state-by-state guide to family day care zoning preemption legislation, examples of model language for state preemption laws on family day care, and a checklist for use in the development of legislation. (RH)