Family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers are grandmothers, aunts, other close relatives, or parents who care for unrelated children of friends or neighbors in addition to their own. In many states, these providers are exempt from licensing regulations and operate outside of publicly funded payment systems. They may be paid informally by families or not paid at all to offer child care. The recommendations presented here emerged from focus groups Erikson Institute conducted with FFN providers to learn how networks are responsive to the strengths and needs of the FFN sector. The recommendations can help inform FFN providers’ efforts to advocate for network supports that meet their needs.
Promising Practices for High-Quality Home-Based Child Care Networks: Family, Friend, and Neighbor Providers’ Recommendations
Uplifting Community Cultural Wealth in Black Communities
Black and Brown communities have historically relied on home-based child care as a form of community cultural wealth and resilience even though this work has been consistently undervalued due to systemic inequities. Recognizing the strengths of providers and caregivers and investing in culturally rooted solutions can help shift the power in decision-making and help strengthen and support home-based child care.
Taking Action to Support Immigrant Families & HBCC Providers and Caregivers
The new presidential administration has begun making sweeping changes to immigration policies that will have a detrimental impact on immigrant families and their young children. In this blog post, we share some ways advocates can help immigrant families and colleagues.
Roots and Offshoots: Family Child Care Programs Celebrate Lunar New Year
Family child care providers have a unique ability to celebrate special holidays for the children they care for throughout the year. For Lunar New Year 2025, we spotlighted some of the celebrations happening in HBCC around the country.