Home-Based Child Care Supply and Quality

Home-based child care (HBCC) is a vital part of the nation’s child care supply and the most common form of non-parental care in the United States (Datta et al. 2021a; Datta et al. 2021b). Yet, HBCC providers—licensed family child care (FCC) providers and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers who may be legally exempt from regulation—have fewer resources and supports than providers in child care centers have, and many HBCC providers face challenges providing care (Henly and Adams 2018; NCECQA 2020; Bromer et al. 2021a, 2021b).The supply of licensed and subsidized family child care has declined dramatically over the past decade (Datta et al. 2021a; NCECQA 2020). The Administration for Children and Families contracted with Mathematica and Erikson Institute to develop the Home-Based Child Care Supply and Quality (HBCCSQ) project. The project was designed to address: (1) gaps in our understanding of HBCC supply and availability and (2) conceptualizations and measurement of quality in HBCC settings. 

HBCCSQ Project Activities and Insights

To build the evidence base on HBCC supply, availability, and quality, the project conducted foundational tasks to assess the knowledge base and refine a research agenda, analyzed secondary data, collected primary data, and developed HBCC quality measures:

Foundational Tasks

• HBCC Conceptual Framework: The conceptual framework and companion brief, Understanding Features of Quality in Home-Based Child Care That Are Often Overlooked in Research and Policy, hypothesize components of quality in HBCC; factors and influences that are associated with quality in HBCC and anticipated child and family outcomes. 
• Quality in HBCC: A review of selected literature:  The literature review synthesizes existing evidence on HBCC quality and illuminates gaps in the knowledge base. 
• Quality in Home-Based Child Care: Summary of Existing Measures and Indicators: A review of quality measures and indicators used in HBCC, including gaps in measurement. The accompanying Compendium of Measures and Indicators of HBCC Quality outlines features of each measure and set of indicators. 
• Research Agenda for HBCC:   This equity-focused research and learning agenda explores how various factors specific to HBCC influence positive and equitable outcomes for children and families.

Secondary Data Analyses

National View of Unlisted and Listed HBCC Providers

To address gaps identified in the literature review and highlighted in the research agenda, the team analyzed data from the 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) to describe the characteristics of unlisted providers and the experiences of listed providers’ with child care and early education (CCEE) policies.  

• National Portrait of Unlisted HBCC providers: This series of infographic briefs present a nationally representative portrait of unlisted HBCC providers, including providers’ characteristics, their caregiving backgrounds and experiences, and the communities in which they are located. 
• Listed Home-Based Child Care Providers and Child Care and Early Education Policies Series: This series of policy research briefs and an accompanying technical report examine how listed HBCC providers interact with three CCEE policies: (1) The Child Care and Development Fund, (2) health and safety regulations, and (3) Quality Rating and Improvement Systems.   

Primary Data Collection 

HBCC Practices and Experiences (HBCC-P&E) Study 

To address gaps highlighted in the research agenda about family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers’ experiences, the study team conducted the HBCC-P&E Study. This semi-ethnographic qualitative study of FFN providers in four states, examined the experiences and strengths of FFN providers, the resources and strategies they use, and how their experiences are informed by aspects of their personal, family, community, or professional characteristics. Forthcoming products include a technical report describing the study sample and methods, and reports summarizing findings about providers’ perspectives on quality of care, providers’ sources of knowledge and support, and families’ experiences with FFN care. 

Developing and Validating the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Measures 

To address gaps highlighted in the research agenda about existing measures used in HBCC settings, the study team developed the Home-Based Child Care Toolkit for Nurturing School-Age Children (HBCC-NSAC Toolkit). Its focus is HBCC providers who care for school-age children, and its primary purpose is to help providers identify their caregiving strengths and areas of growth. The study team conducted a pilot and validation study of the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit to build evidence on its reliability and validity and partnered with community-based organizations to provide input on the Toolkit’s development and study procedures and to recruit providers. Forthcoming products will describe the measure development and findings of the validation study.

The HBCCSQ project was conducted through a contract with Mathematica and Erikson Institute. 

The point of contact is Ann Rivera.

References

Bromer Juliet, Samantha Melvin, Toni Porter, and Marina Ragonese-Barnes. “The Shifting Supply of Regulated Family Child Care in the U.S: A Literature Review and Conceptual Model.” Herr Research Center, Erikson Institute, 2021a. https://www.erikson.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/The_shifting_supply_of_regulated_FCC_in_the_US_2021_LITREVIEW.pdf  (PDF).

Bromer, Juliet, Toni Porter, Samantha Melvin, and Marina Ragonese-Barnes. “Family Child Care Educators’ Perspectives on Leaving, Staying, and Entering the Field: Findings from the Multi-State Study of Family Child Care Decline and Supply.” Herr Research Center, Erikson Institute, 2021b. https://www.erikson.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FCD_DeclineStudy_2021.pdf  (PDF).

Datta, A., C. Milesi, S. Srivastava, and C. Zapata-Gietl. “NSECE Chartbook - Home-Based Early Care and Education Providers in 2012 and 2019: Counts and Characteristics.” OPRE Report #2021-85. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/home-based-early-care-and-education-providers-2012-and-2019-counts-and-characteristics

Datta, A. R., Z. Gebhardt, and C. Zapata-Gietl. “Center-based early care and education providers in 2012 and 2019: Counts and characteristics” OPRE Report #2021-222. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2021. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/report/center-based-early-care-and-education-providers-2012-and-2019-counts-and

Henly, J.R., and G. Adams. “Increasing Access to Quality Child Care for Four Priority Populations: Challenges and Opportunities with CCDBG Reauthorization.” Urban Institute, 2018. https://www.urban.org/research/publication/increasing-access-quality-child-care-four-priority-populations

National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance (NCECQA). “Addressing the Decreasing Number of Family Child Care Providers in the United States.” NCECQA, revised March 2020. https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/new-occ/resource/files/addressing_decreasing_fcc_providers_revised_march2020_final.pdf  (PDF).