Webinar: Including Family Child Care in State- and City-funded Pre-K Systems

On Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 11:30-12:30 Eastern, join Home Grown, NIEER, state and city Pre-K leaders, and special guests from the U.S. Department of Education and the Office of Early Childhood Development for a conversation about the inclusion of Family Child Care (FCC) in public Pre-K systems. This session will include a discussion of findings from the newly released report from NIEER, funded by Home Grown, Including Family Child Care in State- and City-funded Pre-K Systems: Opportunities and Challenges. As the nation looks to make historic investments in pre-K, FCC programs can help ensure that we reach traditionally underserved communities, including Black and Brown, rural, and low-income families and those who work nontraditional or unpredictable schedules, groups that are more likely to use home-based care.  Pre-K in FCC programs exist around the country and there is much to learn from these places as we consider how best to design more inclusive systems. 

Speakers include: 

  • GG Weisenfeld, Senior ECE Policy Specialist, National Institute for Early Education Research
  • Natalie Renew, Director, Home Grown
  • Katie Hamm, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Early Childhood Development
  • Miriam Calderon, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Early Learning, U.S. Department of Education
  • Monica Liang-Aguirre, Director, Early Learning, Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning
  • Kate Rogers, Vermont Agency of Education
  • Adrienne Biggs, Owner, Lil Bits Family Child Care Home
Stephen Cutty, a home-based child care provider in California, is one of a small number of male child care providers. He calls running his business "the greatest experience of [his] life."
Philadelphia-based FCC provider Adrienne Briggs reflects on the success of the 2025 Family Child Care Awareness Day in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and shares why it is important for FCC providers to come together and advocate for what they need.
Family child care (FCC) is often a first choice for families who prefer to keep their children in mixed-aged groups together in one setting. Many states, however, do not include FCCs in their mixed-delivery system which eliminates this option for most parents. This blog post examines why states should consider including FCC in mixed-delivery pre-K systems.