I'm on the programming committee at a new convention in NC, and we do not offer child care because we can't afford to. There are state and city regulations that require us to use licensed child care providers at a certain ratio, and, according to the con chair, it would increase our liability insurance. Children are welcome, and several of our guest panelists had children with them (including one with a month-old baby), but logistically and financially, we can't offer child care. (Our ops director had a toddler. Fortunately, her husband was available to wrangle him.)

We're doing what we can to accommodate children and parents without having to wrangle the legal and liability issues of offering child care. Maybe in the future once we've got into the black on operating costs and can afford the increase in liability we will revisit this issue.