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Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care: State and Local Strategies

Many children are now being cared for by family, friends, and neighbors (FFN) in home settings. FFN care is also known as kith and kin care or informal care, as opposed to care provided in more formal center-based and family child care settings. The following are some examples of State initiatives to support FFN child care providers. These examples do not include all States that have an FFN initiative, but are meant to represent a range of approaches States have taken to develop supports for FFN providers. NCCIC does not endorse any organization, publication, or resource.

State Initiatives

Arizona

  • Association for Supportive Child Care
    Kith and Kin Project
    Phone: 602-244-2678
    World Wide Web: www.asccaz.org/index2.html

    The goal of the Arizona Kith and Kin Project is to improve the quality of care provided by family members. The project utilizes small support groups to deliver training. The groups meet weekly for 14 weeks and most are facilitated in Spanish.

California

  • First 5 California Informal Child Caregiver Support Project
    Phone: 916-263-1050
    World Wide Web: www.ccfc.ca.gov/ffn

    The First 5 California Informal Child Caregiver Support Project was approved by the First 5 California Children and Families Commission in November 2002. The project was comprised of four goals:
    • Convene 45 focus groups throughout California;
    • Develop materials for FFN caregivers to help children with school readiness;
    • Develop a resource guide for counties on “best practices” in devising programs for FFN caregivers; and
    • Technical assistance/training for counties to support their work with FFN caregivers.

    The project disseminates information that was collected through the focus groups and through extensive research on programs for FFN caregivers.

  • Crystal Stairs’ License-Exempt Assistance Project (LEAP)
    Phone: 323-299-8998
    World Wide Web: www.crystalstairs.org

    Crystal Stairs, Inc., a child care resource and referral (CCR&R) agency, operates LEAP, a training and support program designed to reach out to people who are nonlicensed relative or nonrelative caregivers. The project offers support and technical assistance to providers who wish to obtain their child care licenses, and offers training and workshops related to enhancement of child development and running a child care business.

Hawaii

  • Tūtū and Me
    Phone: 808-524-7633
    World Wide Web: http://tutuandme.org 

    Tūtūs (i.e., grandparents) are the primary caregivers for approximately 20 percent of Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian children through age 5. Tūtū and Me—a free, mobile early childhood and parent-education program—is designed to help elderly caregivers of Native Hawaiian children be effective in preparing these children for school. The program has four main goals: (1) identify Native Hawaiian and underserved families with elderly caregivers of young children (birth to 5) and their communities; (2) establish carefully planned, developmentally appropriate, mobile early childhood programs for these families in the targeted communities; (3) provide topical discussions, presentations, and activities focusing on caregiving skills; and (4) provide entry points/referrals to health and social services. Tūtū and Me is supported by the Partners in Development Foundation.

Illinois

  • Illinois Study of License-Exempt Child Care: Interim Report (May 2003), by Steven G. Anderson, Dawn M. Ramsburg, and Bari Rothbaum, for the Illinois Department of Human Services, presents the first-year findings of the Illinois Study of License-Exempt Care, which is examining subsidized, license-exempt care provided through the Illinois Child Care Program (ICCP). Findings are summarized under the following questions: (1) Who uses ICCP overall? (2) What are the patterns of care for families using subsidized, license-exempt home care? (3) What are the characteristics of ICCP license-exempt providers? (4) What factors influence families who choose license-exempt care? (5) What motivates caregivers to provide license-exempt care? (6) How do license-exempt providers, parents using license-exempt care, and community child care professionals describe the quality of the care? and (7) What are the concerns about license-exempt care? This resource is available on the Web at www.dhs.state.il.us/newsPublications/plansReports/pdfs/dhs_planReports_isleccir.pdf.

  • Supporting All Our Children: Conference Report on License-Exempt Home Child Care in Illinois (2002), by Dan Lesser (National Center on Poverty Law), Barbara Coccodrilli Carlson (Welfare Law Center), Sujatha Jagadeesh Branch (Child Care Law Center), and Sherry Leiwant (NOW [National Organization for Women] Legal Defense and Education Fund), describes the primary issues that surfaced at a conference of 35 decisionmakers and people with direct experience working with or studying license-exempt home child care providers. It offers recommendations for improving Illinois’s public policy in this area.

    As discussed in the report, the License-Exempt Quality Enhancement Initiative is a program offered by the Day Care Action Council of Illinois, funded in collaboration with the United Way Success By 6® program and Illinois Department of Human Services. This program offers license-exempt child care providers access to resources and support that can increase their capacity to provide quality programming to children from low-income families in Chicago. This resource is available on the Web at www.nclej.org/contents/childcare/SupportingAllChildren.pdf.

Kansas

  • Kansas Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (KACCRRA)
    Relative Care Provider Outreach Project
    Phone: 785-823-3343
    World Wide Web: www.kaccrra.org

    KACCRRA instituted a Relative Care Provider Outreach Project, funded by the Kansas Health Foundation. Through this project, relative child care providers received training and education through home visits. The project included the following activities: identifying relatives providing child care to a member(s) of their family, contacting each of the providers by letter, following up with telephone calls, and offering to bring a child care gift package to their homes. Each gift package included a children’s book, flyers on child care tips, a checklist of health and safety issues, a book about how to become a licensed family child care provider, and a calendar of trainings offered by the local CCR&R agency. During home visits, project staff discussed with providers their daily routines of child care, child development, developmentally appropriate activities for children, and other topics.

Maine

  • Kennebec Valley Community Action Program (KVCAP)
    Child and Family Services
    Care Quilt
    Phone: 207-859-1599
    World Wide Web: www.kvcapcfs.org/ProgramOptions.php

    Care Quilt offers caregivers enrolled in KVCAP’s part-day, part-year Head Start centers access to health and safety items, training, and age-appropriate child development activities. Every caregiver receives support based on his or her needs and those of the children served.

Minnesota

  • Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral Network
    Phone: 651-290-9704

    More Minnesota families use some form of FFN care on a regular basis than any other child care setting. Many rely on it exclusively for caring for children younger than 13. Research shows that child care arrangements are a factor in school readiness. Meanwhile, there is interest in improving the quality and safety of government-subsidized care for children from low-income families. To better understand some of the issues involved, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) conducted several formal studies, including these that are now available:

    • Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers: Results of the 2004 Minnesota Statewide Household Child Care Survey
    • Family, Friends and Neighbors Caring for Children Through the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program: A Survey of Caregivers and Parents
    • Observations of Family, Friend and Neighbor Care in Minnesota (briefing paper)
    • Observations of Family, Friend and Neighbor Care in Minnesota (full report)
    • Families, Friends and Neighbor Child Care Providers in Recent Immigrant and Refugee Communities

    These resources are available on the Web at http://www.mnchildcare.org/issues/?id=143.

  • Minnesota Sparking Connections Initiative
    Families and Work Institute (FWI)
    Phone: 212-465-2044

    Minnesota Sparking Connections is part of a national FWI initiative that is identifying and demonstrating community-based strategies for helping FFN caregivers meet the needs of working parents, their children, and their employers. The Minnesota CCR&R Network, in partnership with Resources for Child Caring and Region 9 CCR&R, has explored strategies and piloted new services to evaluate and identify service delivery practices for Minnesota CCR&R agencies that hold the most promise for supporting quality care in FFN settings. More information on this initiative is available on the Web at www.familiesandwork.org/sparking/pdf/Minnesota_Sparking_Report_Dec2005.pdf.

    • Sparking Connections, Phase II, A Multi-Site Evaluation of Community-Based Strategies to Support Family, Friend and Neighbor Care, Part 1: Lessons Learned and Recommendations (September 2006), by Nina Sazer O’Donnell, Moncrieff Cochran, Kristi Kelies, David Diehl, Taryn Woods Morrissey, Nancy Ashley, and Paula Steinke, presents information on overarching lessons and recommendations learned from the Sparking Connections initiative. The lessons addressed include: (1) relationships are central to all aspects of FFN care, (2) FFN care is more akin to family support than regulated child care, (3) effective FFN work results in social and learning networks that strengthen families and communities, (4) the most effective FFN support programs and services are home-based or neighborhood-based, (5) effective FFN support work respects diverse cultures, (6) success results from focusing on what is possible, and (7) intermediary community organizations and partnerships play essential roles in supporting FFN caregivers. This publication is available on the Web at http://familiesandwork.org/site/research/reports/sparking.pdf.

    • Sparking Connections: Community-Based Strategies for Helping Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers Meet the Needs of Employees, Their Children and Employers (January 2003), by Marta Lopez, Peg Sprague, Nina Sazer O’Donnell, and Deborah Stahl, presents an initiative to identify community-based strategies for helping FFN caregivers meet the needs of working parents, their children, and employers. Initiative goals include: (1) expand the knowledge base on how to enhance child care provided by FFN caregivers, including roles that retailers and other employers can play; (2) design, demonstrate, and document strategies to support a productive workforce by connecting employees and their FFN caregivers to community resources; and (3) share what is learned with employers, families, communities, funders, and policy makers throughout the Nation. Model initiatives are presented to illustrate some of the creative ways that community organizations and public and private partnerships are beginning to address the needs of FFN caregivers. For a copy of this report, call FWI at 212-465-2044 or visit the Web at http://familiesandwork.org/sparking/home.htm.


  • Observations of Child Care Provided by Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers in Minnesota (February 2006), by Kathryn Tout and Martha Zaslow, presents findings from a 2005 study conducted by the Minnesota Child Care Policy Research Partnership on FFN care in Minnesota. The study was intended to identify the strengths of FFN care and the areas of potential growth for better supporting children’s development. The report includes summaries of findings related to caregivers’ interactions with children, activities and materials available to children in FFN care, and physical environment and routines. This resource is available on the Web at http://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Legacy/DHS-4515-ENG.


  • Ready 4 K
    Family, Friend and Neighbor Initiative
    Phone: 651-644-9138 or 866-644-8138 (toll free)
    World Wide Web: www.ready4k.org

    Ready 4 K’s FFN Initiative works to connect the early learning that occurs in FFN care to resource networks, school readiness assessment, and early care and education policy. Ready 4 K collaborates with the Minnesota CCR&R Network and DHS’s Family, Friend and Neighbor Network to provide resources to FFN caregivers and learn from them in order to form public policy that helps prepare all children in Minnesota for kindergarten.

    Ready 4 K’s FFN Best Practices Project studies the best practices that families from culturally and economically diverse communities are using, identifies how they relate to Minnesota’s early learning guidelines, and works to apply these strategies so that all children will be ready for kindergarten. The current work focuses on communities with some of the greatest needs: the Hmong, Latino, African-American, and Native American communities. The results will be used to increase the capacity of early education professionals, low-income and culturally diverse families, and caregivers to implement culturally appropriate best practices as they prepare young children to succeed in school.

  • Resources for Child Caring
    Phone: 651-641-0305
    World Wide Web: www.resourcesforchildcare.org

    FFN providers can apply for grants to help pay for training and items directly related to improving the quality of their care. The Family, Friends and Neighbor (FFN) Incentive Grant Application is available at www.resourcesforchildcare.org/pdf/WestMetroFFNGrantApplication.pdf.

Nevada

  • The Children’s Cabinet
    Maud W. “Jill” Walker Family Resource Center
    Phone: 775-856-6200
    World Wide Web: www.childrenscabinet.org/CabinetFrame.htm

    The Children’s Cabinet receives State and Federal funds to support child care subsidies and quality assurance funds. The cabinet develops programs and resources to support FFN child care and the parent choice model. The State of Nevada requires that every FFN provider in the subsidy program obtain 3 hours of approved child care training each year. The cabinet has developed a series of self-guided training modules (free of charge to providers), which include learning materials, activities, resources, and paperwork to be submitted to show completion of a module. Training modules cover topics about child development, including language/literacy and social-emotional development, math/numeracy, creative arts, social studies and science, and physical development. The cabinet has additional services for FFN providers, including “Tip of the Month” sheets, newsletters, a literacy calendar, grants for licensure and equipment, and technical assistance via phone or staff visits.

Washington

  • Understanding Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care in Washington State: Developing Appropriate Training and Support (February 2002), by Richard N. Brandon, Erin J. Maher, Jutta M. Joesch, and Sharon Doyle, for the Human Services Policy Center, Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington, states the following:

    We must consider the circumstances and demands of both caregivers and parents if we expect to adequately address the needs of all children. We incorporated the views of ECE [early care and education] experts and the values and preferences of parents and FFN caregivers into our assessment of the potential importance of training and support for family, friend, and neighbor caregivers.

    For the purposes of this study, we defined FFN care as any regular, non-parental care other than a licensed center, program, or family child care (FCC) home. FFN care thus includes relatives, friends, neighbors, and other adults. Other types of non-FFN care are grouped into (a) center care, including licensed centers, Head Start, or the Washington Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program (ECEAP), nursery schools or pre-schools, and (b) family child care homes or mini-centers. Primary care refers to the non-parental care arrangement (of at least 5 hours per week) that is used more than any other arrangement.

    This study answers several major questions:

    1. Demand for Care: How many children are in FFN care, and for how many hours a week? Which families choose FFN care and for which reasons?
    2. Supply of Care: Who are the FFN caregivers, how many children are they caring for, and for how many hours? Do they care for children with special needs? What are their qualifications and what problems do they experience in providing care? How many caregivers are likely to utilize various opportunities for support and training, and in what locations?
    3. Policy Implications: Is FFN care a large enough issue to warrant State attention and involvement? If so, what types of training and support should be offered, to how many people, through what mechanisms, and at what cost? (pp. 1–2)

    This resource is available on the Web at www.hspc.org/publications/understanding_family.aspx.

  • Child Care Resources (CCR)
    Phone: 206-329-1011
    World Wide Web: www.childcare.org 

    CCR is a CCR&R agency in Seattle/King County. Among its resources for providers, CCR has information about informal child care, including Taking Care of Children: Resource Guide for Informal Child Care Providers. This booklet is available on the Web at
    www.childcare.org/ffn-care/FFN-Resource-Guide_English.pdf. It is also available in Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Additional information about CCR’s resources for informal child care providers, including an introduction to this type of care and State definitions, is available on the Web at www.childcare.org/providers/index.htm.

Additional Resources

  • Close to Home: State Strategies to Strengthen and Support Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care (2007), by Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, National Women’s Law Center, addresses some of the policy decisions States make or could make to support FFN care, including:
    • Determining which providers are exempt from State licensing or regulation;
    • Setting standards for FFN providers receiving public funds;
    • Establishing policies for child care assistance programs that help parents pay for FFN care, including provider reimbursement rates and parent copayments;
    • Supporting initiatives to improve the quality of child care, including FFN care;
    • Allowing FFN providers to participate in the Child and Adult Care Food Program;
    • Facilitating coordination of State prekindergarten initiatives with FFN care;
    • Assisting FFN providers caring for children with disabilities and other special needs;
    • Making home visit and family support programs available to FFN providers; and
    • Permitting unionization of FFN providers.

    This resource is available on the Web at www.nwlc.org/pdf/CloseToHome2007.pdf.

  • Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care: Strengthening a Critical Resource to Help Young Children Succeed (2006), by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is the 17th annual KIDS COUNT essay and examines FFN care as a critical component in the continuum of child care options used by millions of families, especially low-income families. The essay includes an overview of the role and use of FFN care, the reasons families choose this type of care, the need for and challenges to improving quality, and State and local strategies for quality improvement. This resource is available on the Web at www.aecf.org/kidscount/sld/db06_pdfs/essay.pdf.

  • The Use of Family, Friend and Neighbor Care: Findings From a Survey of State Policies (January 2005), by Toni Porter and Shannon M. Kearns, presents data about State regulations, subsidy policies, and special initiatives for FFN child care providers based on a survey of 48 States. The findings show that there is wide variation across the States in distinctions between care that is subject to regulation and care that is not. They also show variations in the policies that States use to ensure subsidized children’s health and safety in license-exempt child care settings. The paper indicates that interest in enhancing child care quality in FFN care has increased in the last few years. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/surveypaperfinal.pdf.

  • Doting on Kids: Understanding Quality in Kith and Kin Child Care (December 2003), by Toni Porter, Rena Rice, and Sally Mabon, examines the quality of FFN child care using findings from focus group discussions with caregivers across the country about their understanding of the children in their care, their interactions with them, their relationships with parents, and their views of health and safety. This resource is available from the Bank Street College of Education, Division of Continuing Education, at 212-961-3400 or on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu.

  • Change and Stability Among Publicly Subsidized License-Exempt Child Care Providers (2003), by Marcy Whitebook, Deborah Phillips, Joon-Yong Jo, Nancy Crowell, Sara Brooks, and Emily Gerber, focuses on stability and changes in subsidized license-exempt providers as part of a larger longitudinal study of all sectors of the child care workforce in Alameda County, located in the San Francisco Bay area. This resource is available on the Web at www.iir.berkeley.edu/cscce/pdf/license.pdf.

  • Non-Licensed Forms of Child Care in Homes: Issues and Recommendations for State Support (June 2001), by Gwen Morgan, Kim Elliott, Christine Beaudette, Sheri Azer, and Sarah LeMoine, Wheelock College Institute for Leadership and Career Initiatives, examines States’ interest in exploring how they can support home care providers and help them improve the quality of care and education they provide to children. This resource is available on the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/nonlic-wheelock.pdf.

  • Kith and Kin—Informal Child Care: Highlights from Recent Research (May 2001), by Melanie Brown-Lyons, Anne Robertson, and Jean Layzer, Abt Associates for the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP), summarizes what research indicates about FFN and identifies significant gaps in knowledge. The report reveals a consistent, growing body of research related to these forms of care and to parents’ considerations when choosing it. It also identifies an important area where more work is needed: understanding the qualities of informal care providers and the ways they influence children’s development. Better knowledge of these issues is especially important for low-income families, who use FFN care more frequently. This resource is available on the Web at www.nccp.org/pub_kkh01.html.

  • Neighborhood Child Care: Family, Friends, and Neighbors Talk About Caring for Other People’s Children (July 1998), by Toni Porter, Bank Street College of Education, Division of Continuing Education, discusses issues related to child care provided by FFN providers. Included in this report is a literature review and discussion of a 2-year project, initiated in 1997, among the Bank Street College of Education’s Center for Family Support; Child Care, Inc.; and three community-based organizations to reach out and provide support to FFN caregivers in New York City. Implications for public policy are discussed, including issues of regulation, subsidy payments, and allocation of State resources and priorities. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/kithandkin/neighborhood.pdf.

  • The Study of Children in Family Child Care and Relative Care: Highlights of Findings (1994), by Ellen Galinsky, Carollee Howes, and Susan Kontos, is one of the few national studies that examines quality in family child care homes and relative care settings. The study focused on families and providers in the communities of San Fernando/Los Angeles, CA; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; and Charlotte, NC. The study found that care in the home of a provider is offered by three distinct groups: (1) regulated family child care providers, (2) nonregulated family child care providers, and (3) nonregulated relatives who provide care. Parents and providers agree about what is most essential: child safety; provider and parent communication; and a warm, attentive relationship between provider and child. This resource is available from FWI by calling 212-465-2044 or visiting the Web at www.familiesandwork.org.

  • Quality in Family Child Care and Relative Care (1995), by Susan Kontos, Carollee Howes, Marybeth Shinn, and Ellen Galinsky, Teacher’s College Press, provides an indepth academic presentation and analysis of findings from The Study of Children in Family Child Care and Relative Care, and chronicles the carefully designed study from the perspective of families, children, and providers. The report examines relationships among quality, regulation, family income, cost, provider turnover, mother satisfaction, and child development. This resource is available from FWI by calling 212-465-2044 or visiting the Web at www.familiesandwork.org.

Updated October 2007