Home Grown celebrates the Council of Economic Advisers brief, Child Care Is Infrastructure: Evidence from Universal Pre-K. For over 3 years we have invested in research that highlights the importance of including Family Child Care (FCC) in public pre-K systems. Family child care supports millions of underserved families with flexible, culturally responsive care—essential for equity and access. Yet, only 8 out of 75 large cities and 24 states include FCC in public pre-K. That’s why Home Grown is excited to be working with NIEER this fall to support a cohort of public pre-K systems with targeted TA and evidence-based tools to modify their pre-K systems to include FCC.
Home Grown’s Statement on the Council of Economic Advisers Brief: Child Care Is Infrastructure—Evidence from Universal Pre-K
Alexandra R. Patterson is the Director of Policy and Strategy at Home Grown. Her work focuses on policy solutions that equitably distribute resources to home based child care providers and strengths based frameworks for understanding quality in home based child care settings. Her passion for early childhood is driven by a centering belief in access to quality education for all as a social justice issue.
Stephen Cutty, a home-based child care provider in California, is one of a small number of male child care providers. He calls running his business "the greatest experience of [his] life."
Philadelphia-based FCC provider Adrienne Briggs reflects on the success of the 2025 Family Child Care Awareness Day in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and shares why it is important for FCC providers to come together and advocate for what they need.
Family child care (FCC) is often a first choice for families who prefer to keep their children in mixed-aged groups together in one setting. Many states, however, do not include FCCs in their mixed-delivery system which eliminates this option for most parents. This blog post examines why states should consider including FCC in mixed-delivery pre-K systems.