Promising Practices for High-Quality Home-Based Child Care Networks: Focus Group Briefs

Drawing from multiple focus groups conducted with network leaders and providers, this series of briefs examines the underlying values and goals of home-based child care networks, network services offered to providers, and network implementation practices that research suggests most likely contribute to positive outcomes for providers, children, and families.

Guiding this series is the Strengthening Home-based Child Care Networks brief which describes a set of 11 evidence-based benchmarks and indicators for high- quality networks grouped into three broad categories: “Why” benchmarks unpack fundamental values and goals of a network; “What” benchmarks articulate network services that meet goals for providers, children, and families; “How” benchmarks reflect evidence-based implementation strategies used by networks.

Supporting Providers as Equal Partners also available in Spanish and Chinese:

Supporting Providers’ Economic Well- Being and Sustainability

Network Practices Around Equity and Social Justice also available in Spanish:

Gunawardena Family Child Care in Altadena, California after the Los Angelos fires.

Up in Flames: It’s a Long, Hard Road to Recovery for Altadena Family Child Care Providers

In January 2025, Home-based child care Francisca Gunawardena provider lost everything in the Los Angeles fires. Today, Francisca is still trying to figure out how to move forward.
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Inspirando la pasión por la naturaleza a través del juego en el cuidado infantil en el hogar

Los educadores de la primera infancia, incluyendo a los proveedores de cuidado infantil a domicilio, en todo el país están explorando maneras de dar vida al mundo natural como aula para los niños. Hablamos con tres proveedores que compartieron cómo incorporan el juego basado en la naturaleza en sus programas.
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Inspiring A Passion for Nature Through Play in Home-based Child Care

Early childhood educators, including home-based child care providers, around the nation are exploring ways to bring the natural world to life as a classroom for children. We spoke with three providers who shared how they incorporate nature-based play in their programs.