By Erica Phillips
As summer winds down and traditional schools reopen, countless families nationwide continue to rely on home-based child care programs for young children not yet of school age and to fill the gap before and after school. Family Child Care (FCC), also known as home-based child care, is a curated environment where early childhood educators provide hyper-attentive care for small groups of children. Nationwide, one million paid providers care for three million children from birth to age five in a home-based environment.
FCC educators do more than fill a need for supervision; they provide an essential service that nurtures, educates, and supports the development of our children during these crucial months when school is not in session. The intentionally small environment allows educators to know everything from a child’s sleep schedule to potty habits, likes, and dislikes, allowing for individualized attention.
Significant research shows that warm, loving, and home-like settings are natural environments for children during their early years. Many families choose family child care because it provides safety and the comfort of home while offering a stable and nurturing childhood and early care educator (ECE) throughout the years.
One question I get asked a lot is how FCC educators differ from babysitters. Babysitters play an essential role in providing short-term care to ensure children are safe and supervised, whereas FCC educators are experienced professionals who incorporate learning into daily activities to prepare young learners for Pre-K and kindergarten and help elementary students retain knowledge during extended school breaks.
Most FCC educators complete extensive training and pursue licensing. Many of these care providers have also earned an associate or bachelor’s degree in early childhood development or a related field and complete the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) Accreditation program, a cornerstone in state professional development systems. This experience means they understand the learning process and incorporate best practices into the educational component of their services.
FCC educators’ learning doesn’t end after they receive their initial certification. They must participate in ongoing professional development to remain current with best practices, regulations, and educational strategies that provide new insights and techniques to enhance children’s learning and development.
For more than 40 years, NAFCC has been supporting family child care throughout the country as educators make the intentional choice to offer high-quality early care and education in their homes. We advocate for the needs of practitioners and the families they serve, but we can’t do this work alone. Our new documentary, “We Are Family Child Care,” showcases the invaluable contributions of family child care educators nationwide, highlighting their dedication, challenges, and triumphs.
We need your help educating public and private sector leaders on the need for more investment in home-based child care. We have come so far, and we applaud President Biden’s request for $16 billion that will support 10 million children and families who rely on child care providers. Yet, it is not enough. We must urge Congress to pass the emergency funds to stabilize the delicate child care sector that affords families the flexibility they need to continue working without sacrificing their child’s learning journey.
Additional funding strengthens the entire FCC ecosystem by providing professional development opportunities, resources, and community support. Collectively, this ensures that the quality of the profession is maintained and advanced and that families and caretakers have greater access to these invaluable educators.
Voters nationwide recognize the importance of investing in quality child care educators. A recent poll conducted by Hart Research on behalf of the First Five Years Fund and New Bridge Strategies shows that 85% of all registered voters, regardless of their political affiliation, support federal policies that make quality child care more accessible for working families. More than half (68%) of voters see access to high-quality, affordable childcare as “essential/very important” to strengthening the economy.
Calling on Congress to increase its childcare investment is not only the right thing to do to support early childhood development; it also enables parents and caretakers to continue working without feeling burdened by wondering if their kids are receiving the best care possible. When they continue to work, it drives the economy forward.
Continued advocacy for the funding of policies of this nature is crucial to secure the necessary resources to ensure child care providers are paid competitively while addressing the pressing issue of child care affordability. To achieve these goals, FCC leaders must be equal partners in policy discussions so policymakers fully understand what makes home-based child care unique and the obstacles that must be addressed to ensure it is accessible and affordable to all families. We need your help in championing these efforts every day and particularly as summer wraps up and legislators head back into session.
Throughout the month of August, NAFCC amplified awareness and pushed for vital federal actions and policy changes within the family child care sector through ‘August Advocacy in Action.’ The primary goal of ‘August Advocacy in Action‘ was to advocate for increased and sustained investment in the childcare sector, including support for in-home family child care, pushing for the passage of $16 billion in emergency supplemental funds, and strengthening the child care and adult care food program (CACFP), including meeting the needs of home-based educators by increasing reimbursements and eliminating tiering. These efforts are vital for addressing several needs in the sector:
- Affordable Care for Families: We must ensure that child care remains accessible and affordable for families across various income levels and communities.
- Stabilizing Providers and Programs: Supporting small businesses in the child care sector is essential for maintaining economic stability and fostering growth.
- Financial Sustainability: Properly enrolling child care programs is crucial for their long-term financial health and operational success.
- Fair Compensation for Providers: It’s imperative to ensure that child care providers receive fair compensation for the essential services they offer.
By uniting in our efforts and advocating for these necessary changes, we can ensure a brighter future for family child care providers, the children they nurture, and the families who depend on their services.
The FCC educator’s role is indispensable. Now is the time to act—election season is just around the corner. Child care professionals are essential contributors to society and the economy. Join us in advocating for expanding federal support for expanded child care programs so we can ensure all kids receive the early care they need to set them up for success in the future.
Erica Phillips is the executive director of the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC), a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to promoting high-quality child care by strengthening the profession of family child care for nearly one million paid home-based early learning programs.
