Little kiddos coming soon. A nonprofit cafe and job training program for immigrant and refugee women has won city permission to open a worker-owned childcare center in the basement of a downtown church.The Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) granted that approval Tuesday night during its latest monthly meeting, which was held in person at City Hall and online via Zoom.The zoning commissioners voted unanimously in support of Havenly, Inc.‘s application for a special exception to permit a group daycare for up to 12 children at the First & Summerfield Methodist Church building at 427 College St.Founded in 2018, Havenly currently operates a cafe on Temple Street, where immigrant and refugee women serve up falafel, baba ganoush, and baklava — while learning skills to land jobs and create businesses of their own. Per Havenly’s application to the zoning board, the nonprofit is now looking to expand its work to include opening its own childcare center, to be located in the basement of First & Summerfield.Havenly Co-Executive Director Caterina Passoni told the Independent that a majority of the nonprofit’s graduates are mothers with young children. For years, she said, they’ve talked about needing affordable childcare, and about wanting to work in childcare themselves.Havenly is working with the Massachusetts-based Cooperative Development Institute to build this new business into a worker-owned co-op. Pending state approvals, the group hopes to have this new daycare center open next summer.The BZA application states that the church’s 1,800 square-foot basement hall is currently used as a ​“convening space.” It will be converted into a childcare center to be administered by Havenly, which will pay rent to the church. The room includes restrooms for children and adults, and has two emergency exits.The daycare center will be open Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will employ three staff members, two of whom will work each shift. “The childcare center will provide affordable, culturally competent care to working families, especially those from immigrant communities, thereby increasing access to early childhood education and care in the city,” reads a slideshow presentation submitted by Havenly as part of its BZA application.“The partnership between Havenly and the church strengthens community ties and supports economic development by enabling parents to participate in the workforce while ensuring their children are cared for in a safe, nurturing environment.”First & Summerfield Rev. Jamie Michaels Zoomed in to Tuesday’s meeting to voice her support for Havenly’s daycare center proposal. ​“It is in strong missional alignment with the church,” she said. ​“We do not foresee any conflict with current tenants or neighbors. We’re excited to see this group move into our space.”