Child care is the workforce behind the workforce but our current policy approaches do not reflect that. Research reveals that home-based child care providers (HBCC) struggle to make ends meet, have unstable incomes and variable levels of access to essential benefits like health care and retirement. We strongly encourage state leaders in partnership with home-based child care providers, partners and networks to prioritize access to these critical benefits for HBCC providers. This resource highlights opportunities to improve access to critical benefits for providers.
Opportunities for States to Improve Benefits Access for Home-based Child Care Providers
Responding to Crisis: Cash Aid in Times of Disaster
Emergency funding is deeply ingrained in the work of Home Grown. Home Grown has developed a national team of organizations and partners to design and set up of the Home Grown Home-Based Child Care Emergency Fund for Severe Weather & National Disaster Response.
Student Loan Debt is a Critical Factor in the Early Educator Compensation Crisis
Home-based providers earn the lowest wages in the child care system, with many making just $10,000 per year, while continuing to serve underserved families. Despite their essential role, they are often left out of policy discussions and loan forgiveness programs, contributing to ongoing financial strain. This new fact sheet sheds light on the earning challenges for family child care providers.
Home-based Child Care Providers Share Reflections on Their Hispanic Heritage
In the United States, immigrant stories can start differently but eventually resemble each other. Leticia Barcenas and Claudia Valentín live in diagonally opposite corners of the country—Portland, Oregon, and New Orleans, Louisiana, respectively—they come from different countries—Mexico and Honduras—and began their American Dream with different plans—Leticia wanted to work to make money and support her family; Claudia looked for ways to educate young people in the diaspora—but they eventually discovered that their destiny was inevitably tied to the success of child care in their communities.