Publications and Pages

Virtually all states use a variety of settings to operate center-based pre-K, often making extensive use of child care or Head Start classrooms in addition to public schools. About half of the pre-K programs in 24 states allowed Family Child Care homes (FCCs) to receive state pre-K dollars either directly from the state or through subcontracting. This report examines the policies and provision of state-funded pre-K in FCCs in these 24 states and in four large cities: Denver, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle. This is followed by a discussion of the potential opportunities and challenges derived from an analysis of current state policies and the FCC literature base. Recommendations are provided for state or city leaders considering inclusion of FCCs in their pre-K programs.

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated the need for child care as infrastructure. As families juggled work, job loss, and distance learning, all while taking care of children, we’ve seen something grow in America: the reliance on, respect for, and recognition of home-based child care (HBCC). Yet HBCC remains woefully under-resourced.

Half of all families whose children who are in non-parental care choose and use family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child care, and yet this is the least supported aspect of the child care and early learning sector. Read Home Grown's recommendations for supporting and strengthening FFN care, providing critical support for children, families and caregivers.

Home Grown is sharing state recommendations for scaling effective stabilization funds for home-based child care providers. The recommendations are based on the final data from the Home-Based Child Care Emergency Fund created in April 2020.

In April 2020, Home Grown and its members created the Home-Based Child Care (HBCC) Emergency Fund) with $1.2 million in funding to catalyze the development of regional funds that provide direct financial support to home-based child care (HBCC) providers, including both regulated family child care (FCC) providers and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) caregivers across the nation. This report contains the final data of the findings.

The past year, 2020, was like no other we’ve experienced in our life time. We have endured a global pandemic that not only impacted or threatened our health, but also our livelihoods. Home-based child care providers have felt the impact of the pandemic harder than most industries.

This resource offers ideas and suggestions for states to consider as they prioritize stabilizing the supply of HBCC. This complements the Stabilization Fund Strategies resource.

Home Grown is pleased to share our recommendations on how to allocate recently released federal funds to support the needs of home-based child care providers and the families they serve.

Home Grown commends President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and their team for setting out an ambitious vision for expanding access to high quality child care and early learning.

This report provides an overview of policies across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia related to home-based child care (HBCC). The document includes an overview of policies related to state definitions and regulations, licensing and subsidy, external systems and funding.

View our Fact Sheet for an introduction to who qualifies as a home-based child care provider in the US, the challenges providers face in light of COVID-19, and for our recommendations for how to support providers.

This document reports on the work of Home Grown and Civitas Strategies in supporting home-based child care providers to access the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).