The Need
The Staffed Family Child Care Network (SFCCN) builds upon existing communities of support for home care providers. As of December 2023, licensed home care in Colorado provides approximately 10,440 slots to children within the state across 1,422 licensed businesses. Ensuring that these licensed home care providers are resilient and supported means families have access to quality care now and as Colorado’s population grows. While organizations exist to foster communities of practice, learning and resource allocation, the SFCCN hones in on specific needs, skills and building in-depth business knowledge for family child care providers.
Specific business needs include small business management skills, child care management software (CCMS) sponsorships, computer hardware access and long-term technical assistance that will be the foundation for supporting the sustainability of family child care home businesses.
The Strategy
Staff from CDEC, Colorado Association of Family Child Care (CAFCC), and Early Childhood Council Leadership Alliance (ECCLA) participated in an All our Kin (AOK) technical assistance cohort from October of 2021 to June of 2022 to evaluate AOK’s evidence-based SFCCN model for potential adoption in Colorado.
AOK is a nationally-recognized SFCCN that also offers technical assistance opportunities to build the capacity of organizations across the country to effectively increase the supply, quality, and sustainability of family child care. Drawing on AOK’s model, Colorado sought to establish a SFCCN pilot that is committed to providing the resources identified as most useful for in-home child care providers, such as technical assistance, licensing kits, business training, coaching and additional shared back-end services.
Through AOK’s cohort process, CDEC, CAFCC and ECCLA analyzed the current landscape of support, data and research; surveyed providers in Colorado; and identified the purpose and key areas of focus for a staffed family child care home network pilot. The vision for this network is a responsive, dynamic, equitable and interconnected system that connects educators in home-based settings to supports that strengthen the quality of care in a way that honors Colorado’s diversity.
Three Early Childhood Councils (ECC) serve as the SFCCN Pilot sites:
- Bright Futures
- Early Childhood Council of Larimer County
- Triad Early Childhood Council.
Key Outcomes and Learnings
Impact
Licensing starter kits are being distributed via the pilot sites to home care providers. Kits are in English and Spanish.
Five ECC staff at three pilot sites have become certified to issue AOK's proprietary Business Series training course with cohorts being offered in-person and virtually in English and Spanish at no cost to the providers.
Technical assistance is ramping up to include help with child care systems, such as the Provider Hub, the Professional Development Information System (PDIS) and potentially Child Care Management software.
Learning
- While the project is in its infancy, a successful SFCCN should:
- Improve the resiliency and longevity of home care businesses.
- Reduce costs and access within family child care.
- Support home care providers by alleviating burnout.
This strategy was slower to launch than others, and there is desire to understand what the SFCCN pilot is accomplishing above and beyond individual Family Child Care Home (FCCH) Navigator support.
Funding
Amount: $850,000
Sources:
- American Rescue Plan (ARP) Discretionary
- State and Local Federal Recovery Funds (SLFRF)
Expiration:
- APR funding expires September 30, 2024
- SLFRF funding expires December 31, 2026
Next Steps
- Train the Trainer participants acquired their coaching credentials in the fall of 2023. The business coaching is a follow-up to home care providers who complete the business series in 2024.
- AOK's business coaching is an intense, relationship-based coaching series that takes place over three months at no cost to the home care provider.
- CDEC and the SFCCN are exploring the feasibility of subsidizing Business Administration Scale assessments to home care providers to increase adoption. This is an emerging business quality and resiliency indicator.
- CDEC and SFCCN will continue to facilitate AOK’s Business Series training and coaching to home care providers while working toward sustaining and scaling the program including accessibility to courses and resources.
Evidence Brief
"Staffed Family Child Care Home (FCCH) Network and Substitute Fund"
Marzano Research
(September 2023)
What makes AOK's Business Series Stand Out?
AOK's training is centered around proven adult-learning best practices focusing on business management specifically through the lens of FCCH providers. Family home care is the most common form of child care outside of parental care, making these early childhood care professionals critical to children's well-being and a meaningful contribution to the American economy.
The Business Series Training is delivered at no-cost to participants in an highly engaging, interactive setting, either online or in-person. The Business Series covers taxes, accounting, marketing, record-keeping, time-space ratios and insurance.
"Research on family child care indicates that providers who utilize effective professional and business practices are less likely to experience personal and professional stress and more likely to view family child care as a career. They are also more likely to provide a high quality learning environment and interact more sensitively with children."
Teri N. Talan and Paula Jorde Bloom, authors of Business Administration Scale for Family Child Care