Federal Policy: Recommendations to Support Home-Based Child Care

Colorful playground equipment in front of brick houses with red awnings and bushes.

Any effort to ensure equitable access to child care must include home-based child care providers, both
licensed and unlicensed. Federal investments in child care must prioritize increasing the quality of and access
to home-based child care.

The home-based child care sector needs dedicated, additional funding that:

  1. Increases reimbursement for providers to sustain their operations and serve more families, and
  2. Builds essential infrastructure for them in the form of networks.
September 8, 2025
Grandparents are unsung heroes of home-based child care. Millions of grandparents are stepping up all across the U.S. to provide primary care for their grandchildren. Stories like Tracy Owen, Natalie Whitesides, and Maria Buehler show how grandparents balance work, retirement, or other responsibilities while providing loving care.
August 27, 2025
Ahead of FFN Appreciation Week 2025, a member of the Home Grown staff shares her personal experience with family, friend and neighbor providers and why she's passionate about supporting them.