This blog expands on themes raised in a recent joint op-ed, co-authored by NAFCC Executive Director Erica Williamson Phillips and Reshma Saujan on the future of child care in New York. In that piece, the authors highlight the essential role home-based educators play in supporting families, communities, and the state’s economy. You can read the full op-ed here: https://nafcc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Crains-new-york-Op-Ed-Phillips-Saujani.pdf.
Across New York, families depend on child care that fits the realities of their work schedules, budgets, and accessibility. Just as importantly, many families choose small, intimate, home-like settings where their children are known and nurtured. While much of the public conversation focuses on expanding large child care centers or increasing subsidies, one of the most effective and often overlooked solutions already exists across the state: home-based child care educators.
These educators, many of whom run small programs out of their homes, are the backbone of New York’s child care ecosystem. They operate as small businesses, creating safe, nurturing environments for children while filling critical gaps that traditional centers cannot always meet.
Home-based child care programs are often deeply embedded in the communities they serve. Many educators care for multiple generations of families, building long-term relationships that foster trust and stability. For parents navigating demanding work schedules, especially in service industries, health care, or shift-based jobs, these educators offer flexibility that larger centers may struggle to accommodate.
Beyond flexibility, home-based educators also contribute to neighborhood economic stability. When a professional opens a licensed child care program, they are not just supporting families; they are also participating in the local economy. They create jobs, purchase supplies locally, and allow parents to remain in the workforce. In many communities, particularly those with fewer institutional child care centers, these small businesses are essential economic engines.
However, despite their impact, home-based educators often operate with limited resources and support. Many must navigate complicated licensing requirements, administrative burdens, and unpredictable funding streams while simultaneously running a business and providing early childhood education. Without stronger investments in these educators, the child care system risks losing some of its most accessible and community-rooted options.
Strengthening New York’s child care system requires looking beyond traditional solutions. It means recognizing home-based educators as vital partners in early childhood education and equipping them with the tools they need to succeed, business support, fair compensation, and access to professional development.
If New York is serious about building a child care system that works, it must start by supporting the small businesses already caring for its youngest residents, one family, one neighborhood, and one child at a time.
