For 30 years, Annette Harris has provided preschool and child care to multiple generations of Fresno families from a classroom and spacious backyard adjacent to her home in Southwest Fresno. Her small family licensed center is surrounded by children’s artwork, photos of families, numbers and letters, Mrs. Harris and two assistant teachers care for and teach nine children, ages three months to 4 years old.

Parents of Mrs. Harris’s program like the continuity and stability it offers...