Network Benchmarks and Indicators Toolkit

This Toolkit is intended to help you implement the Benchmarks for High-Quality Home-based Child Care networks. It includes materials that you can use to meet the WHY, WHAT, and HOW benchmarks. These materials have been developed and used by networks across the U.S. Some are examples of mission statements, provider leadership meeting agendas, anti-bias checklists, description of services, and recruitment fliers that you can adapt for your own network. Others are forms such as provider needs assessments and provider feedback questionnaires that you may want to modify for your network’s purposes. In addition, you will find links to websites that provide a variety of information related to services for providers.  

This toolkit is intended as a working resource to which additional materials will be added as they become available.

USING THE TOOL KIT

The Toolkit is formatted as a filterable Excel sheet. Sortable columns are included for type of benchmark (why, what, how), benchmark (A-K), indicator (A.1-K.3), type of tool (website, agenda, survey, budgeting tool, etc.), and file format (.docx, .jpeg, .pdf, etc.). You may see some resources listed more than once if they are applicable to more than one benchmark and/or indicator.

Currently, there are some benchmarks and indicators for which we do not yet have any applicable tools. If you believe that your organization has something that would be useful to the field, please submit it for review for inclusion in future versions of the toolkit via email.

Gunawardena Family Child Care in Altadena, California after the Los Angelos fires.

Up in Flames: It’s a Long, Hard Road to Recovery for Altadena Family Child Care Providers

In January 2025, Home-based child care Francisca Gunawardena provider lost everything in the Los Angeles fires. Today, Francisca is still trying to figure out how to move forward.
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Inspirando la pasión por la naturaleza a través del juego en el cuidado infantil en el hogar

Los educadores de la primera infancia, incluyendo a los proveedores de cuidado infantil a domicilio, en todo el país están explorando maneras de dar vida al mundo natural como aula para los niños. Hablamos con tres proveedores que compartieron cómo incorporan el juego basado en la naturaleza en sus programas.
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Inspiring A Passion for Nature Through Play in Home-based Child Care

Early childhood educators, including home-based child care providers, around the nation are exploring ways to bring the natural world to life as a classroom for children. We spoke with three providers who shared how they incorporate nature-based play in their programs.