intended to help evaluate Home-based Child Care (HBCC) networks. It includes tools that can be used to collect data to assess an initiative’s progress toward meeting its goals.

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.