Many leaders credit home-based child care providers with raising them up and saving their careers. In celebration of FFN Appreciation Week, we spoke with three distinguished leaders in the child care sector to hear how their experiences with FFN care shaped who they are today.
Deborah Young, a grandmother from Boulder, Colorado, has spent decades caring for children and empowering communities. Her community-driven approach focuses on connection, trust, and collective wisdom to nurture both children and communities. Read more about Deborah’s life and work here.
Black home-based child care providers, who are often overlooked but vital to their communities. These caregivers not only nurture children but also provide education and resources to families in need. Despite their essential work, they face significant challenges, including low wages and outdated reimbursement systems.
The EPIC FCC initiative seeks to support state, city, county, and tribal government leaders in expanding the participation of family child care (FCC) educators in their pre-K systems or engaging FCC educators in these pre-K systems for the first time. Learn more about this program and apply.
The annual CACFP reimbursement rate increase is insufficient to meet the needs of home-based child care providers. Advocacy for more robust and sustained investment in the CACFP is essential to ensure that providers can offer high-quality care and nutrition.
This family child care recommendation report provides in-depth insight into the challenges providers face in current family child care state licensing systems and recommended solutions to help design system reform using FCC provider perspectives and expertise.
Home Grown is collaborating with partners and child care providers to develop detailed comments about the Child and Adult Care Food Program to the USDA.
Dawn Holden Woods shares some key advice for home-based child care provider leaders working with funders.
The founders of Black Californians United for Early Care and Education (BlackECE) share how they create spaces of inclusion for Black early child care educators.
The serious deficiency process is a tool used to help regulate CACFP but often subjects home-based child care providers unfairly to swift and harsh penalties.
