Resources about Supports and Systems for Improving the Quality of Family Child Care

Given the growing recognition of family child care as a significant sector of the early care and education field, there is a need for understanding effective quality improvement approaches that encourage provider participation in regulatory systems and quality improvement initiatives.

In an effort to address this challenge, the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance has developed a series of documents addressing promising strategies that states, territories, and tribes can use to improve quality of care, engage providers, and sustain provider participation in regulatory systems and quality improvement initiatives.

Engaging Providers in Quality Improvement Engaging Family Child Care Providers in Quality Improvement Systems is a resource for local, regional, and state stakeholders invested in engaging family child care (FCC) and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers in quality improvement initiatives and supporting this sector of the early childhood professional community. Policy Assessment Tool Supporting Access to High-Quality Family Child Care: A Policy Assessment and Planning Tool for States, Territories, and Tribes provides a framework for assessing local, regional, and state policies and practices to ensure they support access to high quality FCC options. Staffed Family Child Care Networks

Staffed FCC networks are a promising strategy that states, territories, and tribes can use to improve quality of care, engage family child care providers, and support provider participation in regulatory systems and quality improvement initiatives. Networks offer providers opportunities to develop a continuing long-term professional relationship with a network coordinator or FCC specialist and a place to connect with other providers.

The National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance has three new resources to help you to learn more about them:

Staffed Family Child Care Networks: A Research-Informed Strategy for Supporting High-Quality Family Child Care provides research-based evidence and best practices for supporting FCC providers and improving quality of care.
  Developing a Staffed Family Child Care Network: A Technical Assistance Manual provides key considerations and questions to effectively implement a FCC network and support the FCC provider community.
  Staffed Family Child Care Network Cost Estimation Tool and User's Guide will help stakeholders better understand and estimate the costs associated with operating a staffed FCC network. The calculator tool, which is a Microsoft Excel file, is available from the ECQA Center by emailing [email protected].