Programs for Parents

By: Home Grown

Five women and four young children smiling together in a colorful playroom with educational posters on the wall.

COVID-19 Impact

A NAEYC survey in April 2020 reported that 82% of child care programs were completely closed in New Jersey, with another 11% open only for children of essential workers. Of providers who are still open, 75% were operating at less than 25% capacity.

Emergency Fund

Programs for Parents launched a COVID-19 emergency fund to support the 180 registered family child care providers and 120 family, friend, and neighbor providers in Essex County, the largest county in the state of New Jersey. The goal of the fund is to address the immediate needs of home base providers to ensure that they can adequately reopen or continue to provide safe and healthy child care services to children. Ultimately, the fund will help to maintain the supply of home-based child care, ensure access to child care for essential workers, and to stabilize the economic status of home-based caregivers and providers in Essex County.

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Home Grown

Home Grown is a national collaborative of funders committed to improving the quality of and access to home-based child care with a mission to increase access to and the quality of home-based child care. 

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From the Hill to their Homes: HBCC Provider Leaders Share Their Stories with Policymakers During the 2025 August Recess

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October 16, 2025
Home-based child care providers share feedback and insight on their experiences with legislative visits during the 2025 August recess.
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Child Care at Risk: How Federal Funding Cuts—and Government Shut Down— Hurts Families and Home-Based Providers

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October 9, 2025
Families and child care providers are being squeezed as pandemic-era supports expire and federal funding stalls. Across the country, home-based providers are struggling to stay open amid lower reimbursements and rising costs. Without stronger federal investment in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), tens of thousands of children could lose access to care.
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A woman reads a book to two children sitting with her on a patterned couch.

Hispanic Heritage Is Heritage for Everyone

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September 30, 2025
Carmela is a family, friend and neighbor caregiver who is proud of her Hispanic heritage. Learn more about how her Hispanic heritage shapes her work as a HBCC caregiver in this blog.
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