I definitely understand this, and you live in a location that has a plethora of terrific options within the desired time radius.
That said, however, it may be useful to look at Amtrak (and/or bus routes) that can make travel even easier…a 4-hr trip home can mean 8-hours RT for the parents to pick up the kid and then another 8 hours to take the kid back home. If there’s a route with public transportation that can make it even more convenient to come home, then I think it’s worth mentioning. These are the train routes that have stops in Fairfield County (per this link):