ILEarlyChildhoodCollab.org | FFN Guidebook: Strategies

STRATEGIES: STRENGTHEN FAMILY, FRIEND AND NEIGHBOR CARE IN YOUR COMMUNITY.

Many parents place a premium on consideration of safety and trust, followed by a concern for nurturance and educational opportunities, when searching for child care. They see relatives and/or friends as someone they trust to keep their children safe and may not necessarily be concerned about the educational opportunities the child care arrangement is/is not providing.

In this section are suggestions for communities to use to engage these informal providers. They are not based on the ultimate goal of recruiting them to become licensed family child care homes, but are based on the premise that children can experience appropriate learning opportunities in this environment. Hopefully these strategies emphasize ways that the state and local community can begin to support, strengthen, and enhance services for families and caregivers using family, friend or neighbor care arrangements.

Including family, friend & neighbor caregivers as part of state- and/or community-wide efforts to increase the quality of child care services overall.

We must recognize that these caregivers are a part of the early care and education community and should be included in initiatives to strengthen and increase the quality of child care services for all children.
These caregivers should have a voice in what initiatives would be beneficial to them in helping to enhance the quality of care they provide. Examples include:

Inviting them to serve on the local Child Care Resource and Referral Advisory Committee.
Representation on child care advisory committees both local and statewide.
Including family, friend & neighbor care information in community assessments.
Conducting surveys to identify their needs for training and technical assistance.

Early care and education training and technical assistance entities can invite and encourage informal providers to participate in training and other events for children and families.

Training and special event announcements can be posted in areas in the community where these caregivers are sure to see them, (i.e. grocery stores, church announcements, laundromats, school newsletters, door-to-door flyers, doctor’s office, etc.). Early childhood training and technical assistance agencies share information about benefits to participating in training and/or other events for children and families. Agencies can:

Do mailings
Schedule the workshops at varied times when providers do not have children.
Provide “choices” at training’s which are directly related to family, friend & neighbor child care.
Hold workshops at locations that are convenient to these providers.
Provide home visits to share information and/or lending library items.
Facilitate support groups.

Engaging center-based, family child care home networks and licensed family child care home providers in efforts to enhance care.

These more formalized types of child care are usually well-known in the community and can be an asset in helping to bring family, friend and neighbor caregivers to the table. Center and licensed home providers can invite them to training events and share resources in the community. Not all of these caregivers will be open to this but by opening the doors to this idea, licensed providers can serve as a hub for training and other activities for all caregivers in its community.

Using family support models, these more formal types of child care can provide information to others by:

Sending newsletters.
Sharing written materials on health, safety, conflict resolution, scheduling, and quality child care.
Sharing curriculum information that can be adapted for use in their homes.
Hosting workshops and/or serving as a mentor in the community.
Provide training and supplies to improve learning opportunities.

Taking early care and education resources to family, friend and neighbor providers.

Currently all Illinois Child Care Resource and Referral agencies in Illinois have a “Quality Counts” van that serves as a mobile lending library for the communities they serve. There are also home visiting programs, e.g., Visiting Nurses, Head Start Home-based programs, faith based organizations, hospital outreach, etc. in communities that can take information to these homes while they are doing home visits for other purposes. Other ideas include:

Making individual activity packets, art activities, and books available so they can be checked out and returned through the local library.
Inviting these providers and their children to special events in local parks and other centrally located places.
Setting up informational booths at community events. (e.g. Health Fairs, Family Fun Nights, etc.)

The policy makers in the State of Illinois recognize that family, friends and neighbor care is a significant part of the state’s child care subsidy supply and that its role is crucial for families. As we address concerns about health, safety and quality in these child care settings, we must develop innovative approaches that reach these providers in a non-threatening, effective manner. The previously mentioned strategies are not the only ones nor will they work in every community, since each community is different. Communities might consider developing a collaborative group to begin discussion on how all early care and education providers can work together to ensure that each child needing child care services has access to care.

Although family, friend & neighbor providers do not necessarily publicize that they care for children, they are known by “word of mouth” or identified through the state child care subsidy system. Efforts must be made and systems identified which will address:

Recruitment: how caregivers will be notified about training/resource activities.
Program design: development of the services to be provided and how they will be provided in the most beneficial manner.
Administration: identify local agencies that are not viewed as monitoring entities to implement service.
Evaluation: identify how to assess the effectiveness of the services using outcome indicators that reflect the nature of care.

By partnering, entire communities can become more child-centered and family friendly to support all early care and education providers in creating healthy environments for young children.