Home-based child care providers care for more than 12 million children under the age of 13, including 6.4 million children ages 0-5. A significant portion of these children are experiencing hunger: 23% of families with young children experienced hunger in February 2022 and among lower-income families, that number climbs to a staggering 45%. Sadly, the providers caring for
When it came time to select child care, Crystal Johnson says, “I chose my neighbor for my baby, because I wanted that one-on-one care.” Johnson knows child care. She is both a parent and the Child Care Systems Improvement Coordinator for the Nevada Division of Welfare & Supportive Services Child Care and Development Program. She
The Biden-Harris Administration’s announced student loan relief plan has the potential to significantly aid home-based providers and the early childhood workforce. Loan forgiveness lifts the burden of student debt from a workforce experiencing a great deal of material hardship, and represents progress towards restoring dignity and economic security to early childhood professionals. As federal and
More than 12 million children under the age of 13 in the United States are in the care of a home-based child care provider. These providers are often referred to as community anchors because of the extended hours they work to support the families who trust them to care for their children. Many home-based child
Family, friend and neighbor (FFN) caregivers make up the largest component of home-based child care providers in the U.S. Over 11.5 million children under the age of 12 are cared for by an FFN caregiver daily. FFN caregivers are the grandmothers, aunts, abuelitas, and other caregivers who support families and communities with child care. FFN
Home Grown applauds the introduction of the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act and the proposed investments in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). We thank Chairman Scott and Representative Bonamici for the leadership in bringing this forward. See attached for complete statement.
As a family child care provider and network leader of over 20 years, I have seen the challenges providers face when looking for access to a seat of the table for advocating for systemic change. Recently I have had the opportunity to participate as a mentor for Home Grown’s Leading from Home initiative. This past
Home Grown is thrilled to introduce the second cohort of provider leaders in our Leading from Home initiative. Leading from Home seeks to invest in and strengthen providers and families to inform policy decisions and actions. Meet the newest cohort.
Last month I interviewed childcare experts and parents to find out how home-based care meets the developmental needs of babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Home-based childcare, they agree, provides a consistent, family-like environment where kids thrive and learn. Now, as a parent who chose HBCC for my own kids, I also wanted to hear firsthand from
The $5.9 billion child care subsidy program, also known as the Child Care and Development Block Grant, is our country’s primary government child care support for working families – and it is broken. Only 12% of eligible children access this crucial funding.1 Contrary to popular belief, this is not merely a budget issue. 37 states
