Know

Take a moment to think about how you learn best. How important is the environment, the materials that are available, and the people you are with? What impact does each play? Does one of these elements outweigh the other? Now think more specifically about child care. What elements of a program make it stand out? Similar to the way you learn, high-quality care and education programs have a significant impact on all aspects of children’s development and learning. When families seek care for their child, they will look to programs that support both their child’s well-being and the well-being of their family unit. Military families often have unique needs when it comes to child care. This lesson will examine the broader context of family child care, as well as how military FCC programs can meet the needs of military families. Through a review of the characteristics of FCC programming, the current research about the strengths of family child care, and a discussion about the needs of providers and families, this lesson will serve as an introduction into the ways an FCC coordinator can retain quality FCC providers and build military FCC programs. It is important to note that the title of the FCC coordinator may vary across Services (e.g., FCC administrator, FCC director, FCC monitor, RCC (residential child care) coordinator, and community child care coordinator). For consistency, this course will refer to the role as FCC coordinator.

When choosing child care, families decide what elements are most important to them. It is likely that all families value a clean, engaging environment with developmentally appropriate daily activities and nurturing, responsive caregiving. However, there are other critical components, such as a program’s operating hours, cost, availability of care, and the commute to and from work that may affect the decisions families make about child care. Not all families will know what care options are available to them, what type of care may best meet their needs, or what to look for in a high-quality program. Every family’s view on quality child care will vary, and fortunately, there are multiple care options available. As an FCC coordinator, you play a critical role in advocating for family child care as a viable, home-based option in meeting the child care needs of military families.

An important first step in advocating for family child care is understanding the different types of FCC programs and the benefits and challenges of this type of care. This knowledge will equip you with the information you need to recruit and retain high-quality providers in your community, coach and support providers, and market this type of care to military families. While the characteristics of FCC programs are similar, each home holds its own culture, values, and beliefs. To help illustrate the importance of promoting this type of care, we will discuss the variations across FCC programs, review the strengths and areas of support needed for home-based care to be successful, and celebrate the value FCC homes provide to children and their families.

What is Family Child Care?

Family child care is child care for a small group of children in a residential setting for a fee (Herman, Breedlove, & Lang, 2021). However, FCC programs are more than this definition. They are small businesses operated out of the provider’s home and spaces where children are cared for over long periods of time. This type of care is designed for children up to age 12 and offers a smaller group setting and more flexible schedules than traditional child care. For example, family child care may offer full- or part-day care and may also offer non-traditional child care hours to families working shift work, weekends, or overnight. FCC programs may be identified by a variety of names. Terms most often used, either in the military or civilian sector, that carry the same or similar meaning include home-based child care, licensed child care home, registered child care home, licensed group family care, or license exempt home. The terms used to refer to this type of care may also differ based on the regulations set by a provider’s state, territory, or governing body. This is important to note, as some families or potential providers may know of family child care by a different name.

Military-affiliated FCC programs provide affordable, high-quality care in home-based settings on or near military installations. FCC providers certified by their military installation have clear rules and regulations about health and safety to follow and must undergo thorough application, training, and inspection processes. As you recruit new providers and welcome transferring providers it is important to speak about these things to highlight operating an FCC home as a profession. You should also share this information with families as you have a responsibility to inform them of the importance of using certified FCC providers versus unlicensed, uncertified, or unauthorized care. Lesson Two of this course will address in detail the different kinds of FCC programs and the affiliated rules and regulations.

Unique Characteristics of Family Child Care Homes

The FCC programs that you help to support will be unique in their own ways. While there are commonalities among FCC homes, providers make choices about how their program is run, so you will see many variations. In addition to what it’s called, other ways this type of care may vary across FCC homes include hours of operation, culture of the home, child-provider ratio, age groups served, the provider’s connection to systems of oversight and support, and the provider’s beliefs on early childhood education.

• Hours of operation: Most civilian child care centers operate during traditional working hours, usually from about 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. While many military child care centers have longer hours, one of the benefits of FCC homes, especially for military families, is the flexibility in their hours of operation. Some providers may offer care earlier in the morning, later in the evening, or possibly overnight. Some FCC homes provide care to children on the weekends. In addition, military FCC providers may be more amenable to last minute changes in a family’s schedule. This flexibility can be especially important to families that work nontraditional hours.
• Culturally or linguistically diverse care: Due to the locations of some FCC homes, families may have an easier time finding a provider who shares a similar culture or language. FCC homes may be located in the neighborhood that a family lives in, so children have or may build a stronger connection to their community. Additionally, providers in military FCC programs are often military spouses. This experience and understanding of military life and culture is a connection that many families find supportive.
• Number of children and families served: The number of children within each age range can vary and the overall group size will be smaller than what is seen in center-based care. A major benefit is that FCC homes are typically comprised of mixed-age groups of children, which can be helpful to families as siblings can be together in the same place with the same provider. This may limit the number of families served by one provider, in turn offering closer relationships between families. The added benefit to having siblings cared for by the same provider is limiting the number of drop-off and pick-up locations for parents and caregivers. This, paired with forming a closer connection with the provider and other families cared for in the home, offers support to military families who may be experiencing inconsistencies or increased stress due to deployment.
• Number of caregivers present: FCC programs provide families with the same consistent caregiver for their child for the duration of the day. One of the limitations to center-based care is that families often drop their child off to one caregiver but pick up their child from another. Families often appreciate the consistency of the same caregiver at arrival and departure and the strong relationship that is formed because of this extended time together. In military FCC programs, providers in the same area may form a network of care so they can offer support when a fellow provider takes time off. While this person operates their own FCC home, this allows both children and families to have more consistency in their coverage provider.
• Age range of children: FCC programs can serve children from infancy through school-age. The ages of children served in an FCC program will vary from home to home. For example, some FCC homes serve a single age group (infant-only care, preschool care, before and after-school school-age care, etc.) while others offer care to mixed-age groups. There are benefits to both options.
• Connection to systems of oversight and support: FCC providers may be part of different child care oversight systems that, depending on location, may have different names. Some of the more common terms used to indicate how FCC providers are connected to various systems of oversight and support include registered, licensed, certified, and accredited. These terms may vary depending on the number of children cared for in the home, the status of the business, and military affiliation. You will learn more about these different systems of oversight in Lesson Two of this course.
• Early childhood pedagogy: Just as centers may have different philosophies about child development and pedagogy, FCC homes will also have a philosophy and vision that helps to guide their program. While FCC providers may use the same curriculum implemented in child development centers on the installation, the provider brings their own values, beliefs, and philosophy related to care and education into their program. Pedagogy refers to an educator's way of thinking about child development and learning, and may influence the way they form relationships, implement their curriculum, and plan experiences. A provider’s philosophy on education includes their values and beliefs, which may impact their actions. Families can use a provider’s early childhood pedagogy and philosophy to determine whether the provider’s views align with their own. As the FCC coordinator, it is important that you know all your providers well, including their program philosophy, so that you can help families find a good fit and so that you can support providers in making their pedagogical beliefs apparent to families from the start. This will help to minimize possible misunderstandings between providers and families with regard to curriculum planning, routines and schedules, and program policies & procedures.

As you know, new FCC providers will take the foundational courses within the Family Child Care track of the VLS. This is where they will learn about developmentally appropriate practices and the importance of a dynamic set of practices that are evidence- and research-based. With this information, FCC providers can then individualize their programs based on their unique ideas, needs, beliefs, and cultures. This also applies to the ways you support and mentor providers in your network. Throughout this course, you will have the opportunity to learn and reflect on the ways you can get to know the providers in your network and individualize the support you offer.

Strengths in Supporting Children’s Development

Research Promoting Family Child Care Programs

Across FCC programs, there will be variation in the characteristics, experience, and relationships that affect the children and families in their care. As someone who provides support to FCC providers, it is imperative that you understand the strengths of FCC programs in supporting a child’s and family’s overall development and well-being. While research is limited on the features of FCC programs that contribute to positive developmental outcomes, the office of the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has developed a working conceptual model that addresses elements of home-based care that are linked to positive outcomes. This model has been developed to evolve over time as more research is done. The conceptual model is organized into three domains: Foundations for Sustainability of Care, Lasting Relationships, and Opportunities for Learning and Development.

Conceptual Model for Quality in Home-Based Child Care

Foundations for Sustainability of Care

• Creating and maintaining a safe environment
• Promoting providers' self-health and wellness
• Identifying and engaging with community resources, including other caregivers
• Accessing supports for caregiving and teaching
• Managing business and finances
• Demonstrating reflection and openness to change

Lasting Relationships

• Developing nurturing relationships with children
• Facilitating children's relationships with each other
• Building responsive relationships with families
• Maintaining healthy relationships with other adults/family members in home
• Fostering relationships in the community

Opportunities for Learning and Development

• Promoting children's wellbeing
• Capitalizing on available materials, equipment, and other resources
• Supporting each child's development through stimulating, responsive activities, including routines
• Building on children's everyday, familiar, and culturally relevant experiences to promote learning
• Supporting children to learn with and from each other

Source: A Conceptual Model for Quality in Home-Based Child Care | ACF HHS

We know that by supporting the foundation of family child care—the providers—there will be lasting effects on the development and well-being of the children they serve. The first domain in the working conceptual model, Foundations for Sustainability of Care, encompasses elements that providers need in order to maintain a quality setting over time. These elements include concepts related to safe environments, health and wellness, community resources, caregiving supports, business resources, and openness to change. These elements help support quality practices for responsive relationships and interactions with children and families, and they ultimately foster learning and development. It is important to note that not all elements listed in this working model must be present in a program, as long as they are available to the provider. For example, all child care professionals, including FCC providers, should have support to maintain their own health and wellness, including access to health benefits.

The second domain, Lasting Relationships, is a distinct feature of FCC programming. We know that social and emotional development is a foundational domain of early childhood development. Lasting Relationships includes continuity of care, which is a central element to FCC programming. The continuity of care and interactions that children experience with their provider can have a significant impact on their cognitive, language, and social-emotional development. Additionally, FCC providers may support interactions among same-age peers, as well as those who are older and younger, which fosters empathy, kindness, and positive emotional development. Providers also impact children’s social-emotional development as they model relationships and positive interactions with other family members in the home and adults in the community (e.g., neighbors, mail carriers, librarians).

The third domain, Opportunities for Learning and Development, highlights the action steps and practices providers should use to ensure that children are learning and growing while in their FCC setting. These include promoting children’s well-being, capitalizing on available materials and resources, supporting development through responsive activities and routines, providing culturally relevant experiences, and supporting children’s interactions with one another. A distinguishing feature of FCC programming is that it takes place in the home with everyday materials and in spaces used for a variety of purposes. FCC providers naturally support children’s creativity and cognitive development by encouraging children to explore the environment in interesting ways. FCC providers are also more likely to live in the same community as the children in their care, which allows them to integrate cultural practices and familiar experiences into their caregiving. Caring for children in mixed-age groups allows younger children to learn important behaviors and skills from older children, and older children learn important social skills by scaffolding the learning of their younger peers. We will discuss mixed-age grouping in FCC programs later in this lesson.

You can learn more about the Conceptual Model for Quality in Home-Based Care in the Apply section of this lesson.

Family Perspectives on Family Child Care

While the type of care a family chooses for their child is a personal preference, current research on the benefits of FCC programming from a parent’s perspective shows that there are several advantages that an FCC home provides that a traditional child care center may not. While these are discussed throughout this lesson, the specific ways that they affect the child, the family, and the community are highlighted below (Bromer, 2016):

These features of FCC programs make them unique and serve as strengths in supporting the development of all children. As you attend community events and installation briefings, meeting new families, you should highlight these features of FCC programs to recruit new families and strengthen your FCC network. Several of the features listed above may be available in some center-based programs, however they have been identified, by families, as strengths that led them to consider and select home-based care. A more thorough description of how this shows up in FCC settings is provided below.

Home-Like Environment:

Perhaps the most obvious is the home-like environment. Home is usually a comforting place to be. We know from the Learning Environments Course that children are more likely to feel they can be themselves and have a sense of belonging when their learning environment feels like home. There are many ways caregivers can create home-like environments that support this idea, such as including soft furniture, natural lighting, decorative touches such as area rugs and soft pillows, family photos, neutral paint colors, and using existing furniture in purposeful ways. The FCC environment already provides these things as the result of being an actual home. Children observe meals being prepared in real kitchens, eat together at dining tables, and practice self-care skills in spaces that are like what they have in their own homes. Since FCC programs may offer flexible hours of care, a home-like environment can make evenings or overnight care more comfortable and consistent for children.

Mixed-Age Grouping:

Often, FCC providers have a mix of age groups in their care, which further demonstrates the family-like environment. Providing mixed-age grouping allows children to form stronger relationships with their caregiver and peers, allows caregivers and families to build more positive working partnerships, reduces the number of transitions for children, and allows siblings to remain together in the same setting. Because most FCC homes care for children of different ages, it is convenient for families to be able to have multiple children at the same location. Additionally, children are able to learn from and scaffold one another. Key developmental benefits of mixed-age or family-like groupings are the opportunity for older children to have age-appropriate responsibilities and the ability to mentor younger children. Additionally, younger children gain exposure to advanced skills, observable from their older peers, which they may not see or do in a setting that serves children of the same age and developmental skill levels. Mixed-age grouping may be offered in some child care centers (e.g., infants and toddlers together in one room or preschool classrooms serving children 3-5 years of age), but they are less likely to combine age groups (e.g., infants and toddlers combined with preschoolers and school-age children).

Continuity of Care:

Based in attachment theory, continuity of care demonstrates that children thrive in secure, lasting relationships. Not only are children more comfortable to learn, engage, and explore when they are met with secure, responsive relationships, but family members often feel more comfortable with consistent caregivers. Continuity of care facilitates secure attachments and strengthens family-caregiver partnerships. When children and families have a consistent provider throughout many years, everyone is able to build stronger, more individualized relationships. This is especially helpful when considering the unique temperament of young children. Particularly in the early years of life, a child’s experiences and interactions with other people and with their environment affects their ability to form relationships, learn, and grow. Continuity of care removes the need to pause learning to readjust to new people and spaces.

In choosing an FCC program, caregivers are more likely to choose a provider in their community who may share their culture or beliefs. As previously mentioned, because of flexible hours and smaller groups of children within FCC programs, families and providers often build stronger, more personal relationships that can develop naturally over time.

Shared Community:

When you are in a familiar space, with familiar people, it is likely that you feel comfortable enough to engage and experiment. The same is true for young children and their learning environment. Experiences that happen in the context of familiar environments support children’s ongoing learning and help to extend their inquiry-based ideas. FCC providers may live in the same community as the children in their care, which supports authentic cultural or language matches between the provider, the children, and their families. This is also a benefit to families in terms of convenience and commute time.

The Value of Family Child Care to Military Families and Communities

The need for child care is universal and the options are diverse. While some families choose to have a parent or other family member care for their child, others opt for more formal child care options. We know that the availability of high-quality child care does not match the need, due to a combination of factors. Therefore, retaining current FCC providers and increasing the number of providers in your network can ultimately support all families. Many child care centers are facing a decline in staff and increasingly longer waitlists to serve families. As an FCC coordinator, consider what action steps you can take to increase awareness around the value of this type of programming to not only build but also retain providers.

There are many benefits of FCC programming for all families, but this type of care may be particularly important to military children and families. According to the National Military Family Association, almost half of military families have children, and of that number, the majority are under the age of 12. Due to frequent relocation and irregular working hours (including weekends, deployments, etc.), military families have additional needs to consider when looking for high-quality care. For most military families, missing work due to a child care issue is simply not an option. Some ways FCC programs support the lifestyle needs of military families are flexible schedules (full-day, part-day, school year care, summer care, extended care, and weekend care), proximity to their home or work, and mixed-age grouping, which allows for siblings to be cared for by the same person, in the same location.

Given the support that FCC programs offer to military families, it is important that this type of programming is fostered and sustained. There are a substantial number of military families with young children, and all families deserve access to child care options that help them thrive and meet their goals, so enhancing the availability of FCC programming is critical. Throughout this course we will discuss the current FCC regulations, provide guidance on building an FCC network, offer strategies to retain and uplift current FCC providers, and examine the coordinator's role in supporting providers.

Addressing the Unique Needs of Family Child Care Providers

As an FCC coordinator, it is important to acknowledge the many benefits that family child care provides to children and families; however, it’s equally important for you to understand the challenges that come with this type of programming so that you can offer the support that providers need to be successful. All providers share similar overarching goals: to offer high-quality care to children and families while operating a successful and profitable business. Because of their unique role, however, FCC providers face additional challenges that may not be present for center-based providers. These include:

• Dual roles of child care provider and business owner.
• Limited resources available (responsible for purchasing materials and supplies).
• Longer or non-traditional working hours.
• Working in isolation from other adults or providers and working without support staff.
• Expectation to understand a larger range of child development due to mixed-age programming.
• Societal perceptions of their role, where some family or community members may see FCC providers more as “babysitters” rather than child care professionals.

Over the past several years, there has been a steady decline in the number of FCC providers available to children and families. This decline has been attributed to many of the challenges already faced by child care professionals but could be exacerbated by the additional roles and responsibilities associated with being an FCC provider. There is not one isolated reason behind this decline, rather a combination of factors including improved pay for center-based providers, costs associated with running an FCC home, changes in family demographics, and increased regulations on providers.

Engaging FCC providers in quality improvement initiatives requires understanding the unique characteristics of home-based care and how FCC providers view their work. Resources that have been identified by providers to help with retention and to incentivize new providers include:

• Offering or identifying FCC networks: It is much easier to do something when you have the support of others who understand your perspective. Fostering a connection to other FCC providers on base who understand this work can help offset some personal and professional stress and feelings of isolation. FCC coordinators can organize events and trainings for providers to network with one another and form connections. Creating an online forum or list-serv of providers that are interested in networking with other providers is another way to meet this need.
• Ensuring adequate professional development opportunities: The quantity and type of professional development opportunities afforded to FCC providers should be individualized to their needs and schedules. FCC providers prefer professional development opportunities that are tailored to their work and setting, as opposed to trainings focused primarily on center-based care.
• Creating a system for shared services: A shared service alliance is a partnership of providers working together to share the costs of delivering child care. These services could include technology or software support, supply procurement, training, accounting, billing, contracts, etc. For example, most caregivers and teachers in center-based programs have a specific system for requesting materials, supplies, furniture, and equipment. FCC providers, however, are responsible for their own budget, which includes purchasing and maintaining their materials and environment. Since FCC programs are often mixed-age groups, their providers will likely need more supplies. By creating a system for shared services, providers can better meet the developing needs of the children and families they serve if they can trade materials and ideas or collaborate with others. Military affiliated providers can access materials, toys, and furniture from the FCC Lending Library to meet the growing and changing needs of their program. Other ways providers can share services include joint planning of family engagement events to share the cost and materials for these events or sharing business services such as accounting, tax preparation, and software. Some FCC providers work together to care for children during their primary provider’s time off. When providers know they have that level of support, their own (and their families’) mental and physical health is supported.
• Providing business supports: FCC providers play the dual role of child care provider and business owner. A provider’s capacity to maintain the business aspects of their program is critical to providing care and education and remaining open. Providers need support in understanding good business practices, including time management, record keeping, tax preparation, and contract creation. To help retain providers, it can be helpful to offer support and resources on business-related tasks such as writing contracts, maintaining parent agreements, developing handbooks, assistance with form completion, and obtaining insurance. For more information on business-related practices that FCC providers may need support with, you can review Lesson Six of the Program Management course in the Family Child Care track.

Each of these will be expanded upon in various contexts throughout the remainder of this course. You can also find additional ways to support FCC providers in the Family Child Care Program Management Course, the Leadership Essentials Focused Topics Course, and Using the VLS: Coaching to Enhance Practice Focused Topics Course.

See

Family child care plays a significant role in meeting families’ needs for care and education in a variety of ways. To advocate for this type of care, as an FCC Coordinator you must be aware of the ways it benefits both children and their families. Listen as FCC professionals and families who have utilized FCC homes for their children describe these benefits from their own perspectives.

Do

As an FCC coordinator, you have the responsibility of understanding (1) the specific needs for FCC programming on your installation, (2) the benefits that family child care has to offer to families and potential providers, and (3) how to recruit and retain high-quality FCC providers. To better support families’ need for care and improve the quality of care that FCC providers can offer, you should:

• Assess the need for child care on your installation and recruit accordingly.
• Share the benefits of becoming a provider as a recruitment strategy.
• Reach out to commanders about FCC programming and recruit military spouses within units.
• Educate yourself on the unique needs of FCC providers in order to individualize support.
• Get to know each of the FCC providers that you oversee.
• Discuss with each provider how you can best support them.
• Create a network or professional learning community of FCC providers.