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Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care: National Initiatives and Resources
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Many children are now being cared for by family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers in home settings. FFN care is also known as kith and kin care or informal care, as opposed to the care provided in more formal and professional center-based and family child care markets. The following is a sample of resources with information about FFN care.
National Initiatives
Early Head Start Home Visiting Pilot Project
Early Head Start National Resource Center @ ZERO TO THREE
202-638-1144
World Wide Web: www.ehsnrc.org/highlights/EHVP.htm
The Enhanced Home Visiting Project (EHVP) is a 3-year project that provides Early Head Start programs an opportunity to assess and address the needs of FFN caregivers who provide services for children enrolled in Early Head Start. There are 24 participating Early Head Start and Migrant Head Start infant and toddler programs serving children in home-based settings where the children’s parents are working and the children are in the care of relatives or neighbors. These programs received funding to develop and implement an enhanced home visiting program to serve children in FFN care settings. The home visiting models recognize that children’s nonparental caregivers must have the knowledge, training, and skills necessary to help children develop their highest potential.
Additional information about EHVP is available on the Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Web site at www.mathematica-mpr.com/earlycare/homevisiting.asp. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start funded Mathematica to conduct an evaluation of EHVP.
The following resources about EHVP are available on the Web:
- “Family, Friend and Neighbor Care in Early Head Start: Strengthening Relationships and Enhancing Quality” (2006), Technical Assistance Paper No. 11, by the Early Head Start National Resource Center, is available on the Web at www.ehsnrc.org/PDFfiles/TA11.pdf.
- “Reaching Out to Kith and Kin Caregivers in Early Head Start” (April 2006), Issue Brief No. 2, by Diane Paulsell, Debra Mekos, Patricia Del Grosso, Patti Banghart, and Renée Nogales, for Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., is available on the Web at www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/redirect_pubsdb.asp?strSite=pdfs/kithkinisbr.pdf.
- The Enhanced Home Visiting Pilot Project: How Early Head Start Programs Are Reaching Out to Kith and Kin Caregivers: Final Interim Report (January 2006), by Diane Paulsell, Debra Mekos, Patricia Del Grosso, Patti Banghart, and Renée Nogales, for Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., is available on the Web at www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/redirect_pubsdb.asp?strSite=pdfs/homevisitrpt.pdf.
Institute for a Child Care Continuum
Bank Street College of Education
212-875-4400
World Wide Web: www.bankstreet.edu/ICCC/
The Institute supports the quality care for children across the child care continuum, including the quality of FFN care. It initiated The National Alliance for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care (NAFFNCC), a work group that helps influence FFN policies, enhance providers’ access to services, and increase the awareness of the role FFN providers play in the child care system. For additional information, call Toni Porter at 212-961-3420 or email tporter@bnkst.edu.
The Institute for a Child Care Continuum has the following resources on its Web site:
- “Assessing Initiatives for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: An Overview of Models and Evaluations,”(March 2007), Research to Policy Connections No. 5, by Toni Porter, presents a description of current efforts to support and enhance child care provided by FFN providers, and of the documentation and evaluation of these efforts. This resource is available on the Web at www.childcareresearch.org/SendPdf?resourceId=11787.
- Assessing Quality in Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care: The Child Care Assessment Tool for Relatives (April 2006), by Toni Porter, Rena Rice, and Elizabeth Rivera, presents the Child Care Assessment Tool for Relatives (CCAT-R), an observation instrument specifically designed for measuring the quality of child care provided by relatives. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/CCATRfinal5.8.06.pdf. The Institute developed the CCAT-R with a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. An announcement flyer about the CCAT-R is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/CCATRannouncement.pdf. A description of the tool is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/Description.pdf.
- Perspectives on Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: Research, Programs and Policy (December 2005), ed. Rena Rice, is a compilation of short papers about research, programs, and policies related to FFN care. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/OPS15.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 this population of child care providers. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/surveypaperfinal.pdf .
- Frequently Asked Questions About Kith and Kin Child Care (2004), by the Institute for a Child Care Continuum, summarizes research on FFN care in a question and answer format. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/FinalFAQ.pdf.
- Policy Issues in License-Exempt Child Care: Lead Paint, Wages, and Criminal Record Checks (May 2004), by Toni Porter and Sally Mabon, examines regulatory and policy issues for FFN care with a series of case studies that illustrate each issue, a description of the policy context, and questions. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/kithandkinpolicyJune2.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 kith and kin 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 on health and safety. Data indicate some positive aspects of quality in FFN care settings.
- Understanding License-Exempt Care in Connecticut: Report to the Connecticut Department of Social Services Initiative to Support Kith and Kin Care (January 2002), by Toni Porter and Sulaifa Habeeb, describes the primary reason for the study is to learn more about kith and kin providers and to integrate their needs into the formal child care system.
- Lessons Learned: Strategies for Working with Kith and Kin Caregivers (June 2000), by Toni Porter and Rena Rice, provides strategies for successful recruitment and retention.
- Neighborhood Child Care: Family, Friends and Neighbors Talk about Caring for Other People’s Children (July 1998), by Toni Porter, provides information about FFN care, such as how these child care arrangements start, how the arrangements end, and the role that payment plays. This resource is available on the Web at www.bankstreet.edu/kithandkin/neighborhood.pdf.
Institute for Youth, Education, and Families (YEF Institute)
National League of Cities
202-626-3107
World Wide Web: www.nlc.org/ASSETS/2F54313C904C4CF1890EFD8AAFBCE68D/IYEF_FFN_Care.pdf
The National League of Cities’ YEF Institute is partnering with the United Way of America on a FFN care initiative. Recognizing that most young children are in FFN care settings during the day when their parents are working, the initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of city, United Way, community group, and other local leaders to support and conduct effective outreach to FFN care providers. Additional information about the YEF Institute is available on the Web at www.nlc.org/iyef/. For additional information about the initiative, call Abby Hughes Holsclaw, project director, Early Childhood and Family Economic Success, at 202-626-3107 or email holsclaw@nlc.org.
The National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP)
The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University
646-284-9600
World Wide Web: www.nccp.org/
The mission of NCCP is to identify and promote strategies that prevent young children from experiencing poverty in the United States, and improve the lives of the millions of children younger than age 6 who are growing up poor. NCCP has published the following materials that relate to FFN care:
- Kith and Kin–Informal Child Care: Highlights from Recent Research (May 2001) by Melanie Brown-Lyons, Anne Robertson, and Jean Layzer, analyzes 27 key studies of informal child care over the last 20 years. It summarizes what is known about informal child care: the proportion of children using it and trends over time; family characteristics; why it is used; the costs; who the providers are; quality issues; and the experiences of providers, parents, and the children in care. This document is available on the Web at www.nccp.org/pub_kkh01.html.
- Child Care by Kith and Kin: Supporting Family, Friends, and Neighbors Caring for Children: Children and Welfare Reform Issue Brief 5 (1998), by Ann Collins and Barbara Carlson, documents important strategies that individual States and communities are using to reach out directly to children and their caregivers. This resource is available on the Web at www.nccp.org/pub_cwr98e.html.
Sparking Connections
Families and Work Institute (FWI)
212-465-2044
World Wide Web: www.familiesandwork.org/
FWI is a nonprofit research and planning organization committed to developing new approaches toward balancing the changing needs of America’s families with the continuing need for workplace productivity.
Sparking Connections is a demonstration and evaluation project of FWI. It is a three-phased, 4-year national initiative to demonstrate and evaluate strategies to support FFN caregivers through partnerships with retailers and other nontraditional partners. The Sparking Connections National Consortium—a 2-year evaluation and demonstration project (Phase II)—began in December 2003 following the publication of FWI’s Sparking Connections report. Additional information about Sparking Connections is available on the Web at www.familiesandwork.org/sparking/home.htm.
The following resources are available on the Sparking Connections Web site:
- Sparking Connections Phase II: A Multi-Site Evaluation of Community-Based Strategies to Support Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers of Children: Part I: Lessons Learned and Recommendations (2006), by Nina Sazer O’Donnell, Moncrieff Cochran, Kristi Lekies, David Diehl, Taryn Woods Morrissey, Nancy Ashley, and Paula Steinke, is available on the Web at http://familiesandwork.org/eproducts/sparking-phase2.pdf.
- Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care and Early Learning Systems: Issues and Recommendations (January 2005), by Nina Sazer O’Donnell and Taryn Woods, for the Sparking Connections National Consortium, is available on the Web at www.familiesandwork.org/sparking/pdf/FFN_Care_and_Early_Learning_Systems.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. This report is available on the Web at www.familiesandwork.org/sparking/pdf/sparking_connections_report.pdf.
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, presents multiple strategies that States can adopt to help support and strengthen FFN care. This resource is available on the Web at www.nwlc.org/pdf/CloseToHome2007.pdf.
- “Measuring Quality in Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care: Conceptual and Practical Issues,” Research to Policy Connections No. 6 (April 2007), by Erin J. Maher, University of Washington’s Human Services Policy Center, explores the challenges of measuring quality in FFN child care. Issues discussed include parental choice and definitions of quality; concerns with commonly used quality measures that were originally designed for other settings; quality measurement advances for FFN care; and testing measures for cultural appropriateness and competency. This resource is available on the Web at www.childcareresearch.org/SendPdf?resourceId=12033.
- 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 that millions of families use, especially low-income families. The essay includes an overview of the role and use of FFN care, the reasons why families choose this type of care, the need for and challenges of improving the 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.
- National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families, Care in the Home: A Description of Family Child Care and the Experiences of the Families and Children Who Use It, Wave 1 Report (2006), prepared by Jean I. Layzer and Barbara D. Goodson, Abt Associates, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families, is part of a 7-year research effort conducted in 17 States and 25 communities within those States. This report presents findings from the first wave of data collection for the In-Depth Study of Family Child Care, a component of the National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families. The focus is on low-income parents with young children and their employment and child care experiences. The report presents profiles of the family child care providers used by these families, descriptions of their homes as child care environments and the experiences of individual children in the homes. The Executive Summary is available on the Web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/cc/nsc_low_income/
reports/care_in_home_execsum/care_in_the_home_execsum.pdf. The full report is available on the Web at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/cc/nsc_low_income/reports/care_in_home/care_in_home.pdf.
- Threshold of Licensed Family Child Care (2006),available on the National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) Web site at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/cclicensingreq/threshold.html, includes information from licensing regulations about the minimum number of children allowed in family child care homes for a license to be required.
- Enhancing Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregiving Quality: The Research Case for Public Engagement (August 2005), by Richard Brandon, University of Washington, in collaboration with the National Association of State Child Care Administrators and Child Trends, examines the focus of public policy on the use and support of FFN child care. The paper includes criteria for determining whether this expanded policy attention is warranted and what form it should take. This resource is available on the Web at www.aphsa.org/Publications/Doc/Brandon-Family-Friend-and-Neighbor-Paper.pdf.
- Organizing and Supporting Home-Based Child Care: A Guide for Supporting Parents and Informal and Regulated Child Care Providers (2004), by Kay Hutchinson, Kay Sohl, and Marnie Vlahos, The Enterprise Foundation, is designed to help community-based organizations support, develop, and expand the home-based child care industry in their communities. This resource is available on the Web at www.practitionerresources.org/cache/documents/197/19703.pdf.
- The Use of Relative Care While Parents Work: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families (November 2004), by Kathleen Snyder and Sarah Adelman, looks in depth at the use of relative care for children younger than 13 while their parents are at work—including who uses it, for how many hours, and how often it is relied on as the only child care arrangement versus one of a combination of arrangements. The paper also examines some characteristics of relative care settings, such as whether the care is provided in the child’s or relative’s home, whether the caregiver is older than the age of 18, whether the child is cared for in a multi-child setting, and whether the care is provided by a relative who lives with the child. This resource is available on the Web at www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/311131_DP04-09.pdf.
- Welfare Reform, Work, and Child Care: The Role of Informal Care in the Lives of Low-Income Women and Children (October 2003), by Virginia W. Knox, Andrew S. London, Ellen K. Scott, analyzes the role of informal care in the lives of low-income women and children using data from in-depth ethnographic interviews conducted in Cleveland, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia. This resource is available on the Web at www.mdrc.org/publications/353/policybrief.pdf.
- Illinois Study of License-Exempt Child Care: Interim Report (May 2003), by Steven G. Anderson, Dawn M. Ramsburg, and Bari Rothbaum, presents the first-year findings from the Illinois Study of License-Exempt Care, which is examining subsidized license-exempt care provision through the Illinois Child Care Program (ICCP). This resource is available on the Web at www.dhs.state.il.us/newsPublications/plansReports/pdfs/dhs_planReports_isleccir.pdf.
- 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, for the Center for Study of Child Care Employment, focuses on the stability and change of the 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 Elliot, Christine Beaudette, Sheri Azer, and Sarah LeMoine, published by the Wheelock College Institute for Leadership and Career Development, describes the six different forms of unlicensed care that are included under the term “informal care,” State licensing regulations and exemptions, how States’ policies for family child care result in defining what is not licensed, the different forms of care in homes that are not regulated by licensing, ways that States can support each form of care, and recommendations for needed policy reforms. This resource is available on the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/nonlic-wheelock.html.
- 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 only national studies that examines quality in family child care homes and relative care settings. This 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 homes of providers 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 about the child in care, and warm, attentive relationships between providers and children. This resource is available from the Families and Work Institute. Call 212-466-2044 or visit 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, published by Teacher’s College Press, provides an in-depth academic presentation and analysis of the 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. It examines relationships among quality and regulation, family incomes, costs, provider turnover, mothers’ satisfaction, and children’s development. This resource is available from the Families and Work Institute. Call 212-466-2044 or visit the Web at www.familiesandwork.org/.
Updated May 2007
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The document is for informational purposes only. No official endorsement of any practice, publication, program, or individual by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Administration for Children and Families, the Child Care Bureau, or the National Child Care Information Center is intended or is to be inferred. For additional information on this or related topics, please contact the National Child Care Information Center at (800) 616-2242 or info@nccic.org. |
