Introduction: Defining the Opportunity (by Charlie Bruner)
Family, friend and neighbor care (FFN) is defined in different ways. One definition used by Charlie Bruner (Child and Family Policy Center) and Richard Chase (Amherst H. Wilder Foundation) is: “care provided, often without pay, for a child(ren) by someone because of a close personal relationship with the family and child.” A second definition of FFN care includes this group of caregivers but also includes nonregistered or un-licensed care providers who are making it a business or a supplement to their income, often caring for multiple children from different families and taking in new children over time.
While there clearly is overlap between the two definitions, there also are many who fall strictly in the first category, as well as many who clearly fall into the second category as caring for multiple children as a business and livelihood.
Obviously, both groups are important to the children in their care and care in both settings can be supported and strengthened – but the strategies for providing such support differ. From a numerical perspective, both in terms of caregivers and children served, the first definition includes the largest number of providers – and these FFN caregivers often receive almost no attention and support from the early care and education system.
For the first group, such voluntary activities as Play+Learn groups, Family Place libraries, and peer support and networking meetings all make sense. The FFN caregivers are most likely to participate in activities not around their “professional development,” but around “information” and “outings” with the children in their care. These fall into a voluntary, “family support framework.”
For the second group, while similar activities may play some role, even these activities would be differently contoured to reflect different roles and affinities. While a grandmother may take her granddaughter to a group reading program (with other parents and their children and grandparents and their children) in a local library or a Play+Learn group – the emphasis for the second group would be much more upon providing professional development opportunities and training, coaching, and other support to a caregiver moving toward registration or licensing. Further, a nonregistered caregiver providing care for three or more children really is not the audience for a local library or Play+Learn group, as these usually are structured around FFN/child dyadic interactions.
About the Reading List
This comprehensive reading list was originally developed for the participants of the Build Initiative National FFN Conference in September 2009. Participants included a diverse audience such as administrators of FFN supports, policy and advocacy focused leaders, systems thinkers, and philanthropic leaders all interested in learning about and better supporting FFN providers. Thus, this reading list includes resources intended to be useful for a variety of FFN stakeholders. Additionally, all resources do not define FFN providers in a consistent way to the point of the Introduction by Charlie Bruner. Often a state’s early childhood system structure, definition of license-exempt or unregulated providers, cultural influences, and/or other considerations shape how they think of and define FFN providers.
14 / Comprehensive Family, Friend and Neighbor Care Reading List – February, 2013Content Area / Annotation / Publication / Article Title / Author(s) / Date /
Introductory and Comprehensive Information on Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) Care
All information listed in this section is specific to FFN.
Introductory and Comprehensive Information / This volume of essays represents three aspects of FFN work: research, programs, and policy. With the passage of 1996 welfare reform act FFN became a topic in focus because in many localities, a large portion of public child care subsidy money was expended on FFN child care arrangements, but little was known about the caregivers or the kind of care they provided. This led to research efforts, program development, and new policies. / Bank Street College of Education
http://www.crin.org/docs/Perspectives%20on%20Family,%20Friend%20and%20Neighbor%20Child%20Care%20-%20Research,%20Programs%20and%20Policy%20-%20United%20States.pdf / Perspectives on Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: Research, Programs and Policy / Porter, T. et al. / December 2005
Introductory and Comprehensive Information / From Washington state, information about why families choose FFN care, what research shows about informal child care settings, supports for FFN providers, help to pay for FFN providers, and links to Washington state-specific and national FFN research. / Washington State Department of Early Learning
http://www.del.wa.gov/care/family/Default.aspx / Various resources by topic
Introductory and Comprehensive Information / A comprehensive report. Washington state parents, caregivers, professionals, and policy makers were surveyed to understand: how many children are in FFN care,
for how many hours, and for what reasons; the characteristics, training, and motivations of FFN caregivers; and the views of policy makers and professionals regarding FFN care. / Human Services Policy Center, Evans School of Public Affairs, University of Washington
http://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/resources/207 / Understanding Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care in Washington State: Developing Training and Appropriate Support / Brandon, R., Maher, E., Joesch, J., Doyle, S. / February 2002
Introductory and Comprehensive Information / From Minnesota Child Care Aware (formerly Child Care Resource and Referral Network). Brief, basic, easy-to-read info describing what FFN care is and the benefits to families, Minnesota statistics about FFN, and tips for how organizations can include FFN caregivers in programs and services. / Minnesota Child Care Resource & Referral Network
http://mnchildcare.org/community/support-ffn-caregivers / Various resources by topic
Introductory and Comprehensive Information / A brief introduction on types of child care (child care centers, family child care, in-home caregivers, and FFN) from Child Care Aware. See brief introductory language about FFN care by following link for “Care Provided by Relatives, Friends and Neighbors.” / Child Care Aware
http://childcareaware.org/parents-and-guardians/child-care-101/types-of-care
Demographic Information
The first three listings are sources specific to FFN, describing who FFN providers are as well as who is using FFN care and why they chose it. The last source has useful state-by-state information about young children and their families.
Demographic Information
(FFN-specific) / Easy-to-read 10 page research brief on what FFN care is, who is using FFN care, and characteristics of FFN providers. / Child Care & Early Education Research Connection
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_835.html / Demographics of Family, Friend and Neighbor Care in the United States / Susman-Stillman, A., Banghart, P. / August 2008
Demographic Information
(FFN-specific) / One-pager on Illinois. Brief introductory on what FFN is, definition of license exempt, and how to receive child care assistance for FFN care. Data on children in FFN care and data on FFN providers. / Illinois Action for Children
http://www.actforchildren.org/site/DocServer/Child_Care_with_Family__Friends__and_Neighbors__2012_.pdf?docID=3425 / Child Care in the Homes of Family, Friends or Neighbors / 2012
Demographic Information
(FFN-specific) / First year findings from research on Illinois’ license exempt providers providing subsidized care through the Illinois Child Care Program (ICCP). From p.3 see useful information about who uses the assistance program, patterns of care, characteristics of providers, factors that influence choosing lice-exempt care, and what motivates caregivers to provide license-exempt care. / University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
http://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/resources/2969?q=Illinois+Study+of+License-Exempt / Illinois study of license-exempt child care: Interim report [Executive Summary] / Anderson, S., Ramsburg, D., Rothbaum, B. / 2003
Demographic Information (FFN-specific) / Highlights from a Minnesota statewide child care survey conducted 2009-2010 by Wilder Research for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The survey is intended to help inform, develop and assess Minnesota’s child care policies and programs, particularly those that serve low-income children. Click on the “Family, friend and neighbor (FFN) child care” link to see page 11/16 of the brief which shows who FFN providers are, when FFN care is provided, data showing why it is the most common form of care, and info about the FFN needs of families. / Wilder Research for the Minnesota Department of Human Services
http://www.wilder.org/Wilder-Research/Publications/Studies/Child%20Care%20Use%20in%20Minnesota%202009/Child%20Care%20Use%20in%20Minnesota,%20Fact%20Sheets.pdf / Facts about child care use in Minnesota
Highlights from the 2009 Statewide Household Child Care Survey
Demographic Information (FFN-specific) / Full report of the Minnesota statewide child care survey conducted by Wilder Research for the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The 88-page report contains information about child care arrangements and reasons for choosing them, costs, satisfaction with quality and how child care choices affect parents’ employment. There is FFN-specific information throughout the report (e.g. data on FFN care use by age, making the case for including FFN supports in increasing school readiness efforts, etc.). This is the full report version of the previous listing (which shows the highlights from the report). / Wilder Research for the Minnesota Department of Human Services
https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-6278-ENG / Child Care Use in Minnesota: Report of the 2009 Statewide Household Child Care Survey / Chase, R., Valorose, J. / November 2010
Demographic Information
(FFN-specific) / PowerPoint presentation about Washington State Kids Count data. See slide 8 for percentages on time spent in settings (center, FCC, and FFN) per age (birth-5) in Washington State. Slides 3-7 useful as example of how to discuss demographics of children ages birth to 5. / Washington KIDS COUNT
Human Services Policy Center,
Evans School of Public Affairs,
University of Washington
http://www.del.wa.gov/publications/partnerships/docs/KidsCountPresentation.pdf / Characteristics of Children Age Birth to Three in Washington State / Pfingst, L., Loeb, H., Maroto, M. / March 16, 2010
Demographic Information
(FFN-specific) / “An examination of how much New York-based parents pay for child care, amount provided by government subsidies, and estimated value of family, friend, and neighbor caregiving.” (Child Care & Early Education Research Connections description) / Politics & Society
http://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/resources/11208?q=The+invisible+child+care+provider / Who Pays?: The visible and invisible costs of child care / Meyers, M., Durfee, A. / March 2006
Demographic Information / “National and state-by-state data on key indicators of child well-being.” / KIDS Count http://datacenter.kidscount.org/DataBook/2012/Default.aspx / 2012 KIDS Count Data Book / 2012
Demographic Information / State by state resources from Child Care Aware. Click on any state to see a list of resources for families. The Child Care Fact Sheet, containing basic facts about child care in each state, is useful to illustrate child care needs (e.g. family make-up, ages of children, child care needs, licensed child care availability, etc.). / Child Care Aware
http://childcareaware.org/node/1405 / State by State Resources for Families
Policy Information
This section includes both FFN-specific and broader information that is helpful to thinking about public policy related to FFN.
Policy Information
(FFN-specific) / Makes the case for a comprehensive infant and toddler policy agenda overall and for including FFN specifically. Zero to Three’s birth to three policy framework indicates good health, strong families, and positive early learning experiences are crucial for infants and toddlers. See policy recommendation #8 on p. 71/124 about FFN. Additionally, FFN is prominently included in the self-assessment check lists for states about effective policies and best practices beginning on p. 113/124. / Zero to Three
http://main.zerotothree.org/site/DocServer/Policy_Guide.pdf?docID=8401 / Early Experiences Matter
A Guide to Improved Policies for Infants and Toddlers / 2009
Policy Information
(FFN-specific) / Process suggestions and several materials intended to assist states and territories in engaging a strategic planning process to support FFN quality child care for infants and toddlers. / National Infant and Toddler Care Initiative @ Zero to Three
http://www.zerotothree.org/public-policy/ffn-strategic-planning-tool-kit.pdf / FFN Strategic Planning Toolkit / 2009
Policy Information
(FFN-specific) / Good background data on FFN, FFN users, and FFN providers. An exploration of state policies and the various strategies to support and strengthen FFN care. See page 18 for information on investing in quality improvement efforts. See page 24 for information on connection to family support initiatives. / National Women’s Law Center
http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/CloseToHome2007.pdf / Close to Home: State Strategies to Strengthen and Support Family, Friend and Neighbor Care / Shulman, K., Blank, H. / February 2007
Policy Information
(FFN-specific) / The guide compiles insights and recommendations on promising strategies for FFN care and offers tips to address common challenges to developing effective federal, state and local policies and approaches concerning FFN care, including: how to reach out to FFN providers, how to meet the needs of children in FFN care, and how to evaluate FFN initiatives. This guide follows the release of the 2007 report (listed above). / National Women’s Law Center
http://www.nwlc.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/ffn-tipsfromexperts.pdf / Developing Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care
Initiatives and Policies:
Tips from Experts / Blank, H. / February 2009
Policy Information
(FFN-specific) / Richard Chase from Wilder Research and Minnesota BUILD’s state evaluation partner wrote this brief on how state policy can support FFN caregivers. It provides a case study of Minnesota’s 2007 legislative victory, which made it the first state to provide explicit state financing focused on strengtheningFFN care through broad-based community actions. / Build Initiative
http://www.buildinitiative.org/files/BI%20FamilyFriendNeighbor.pdf / State Policies for Supporting Family, Friend, & Neighbor Care / Chase, R.
Policy Information
(FFN-specific) / Findings from a 2004 survey of 48 states and interviews with 20 program operators. “Because family, friend and neighbor care is used by such a large number of families who are eligible for publicly subsidized child care, we sought to learn more about state policies for these child care settings. The research had a twofold purpose: first, we aimed to enhance the understanding of the context in which these caregivers provide child care; and second, we intended to stimulate discussions about approaches for improving the quality of care that these caregivers offer. The study focused on several issues: 1) how states define home-based care that is exempt from regulations for family child care; 2) the kinds of requirements that states impose on license-exempt home-based caregivers who provide care for subsidized children; and 3) the types of special initiatives, if any, that states fund to improve the quality of care that these caregivers offer to children.” / Institute for Child Care Continuum
http://www.aphsa.org/policy/doc/family%20friend%20and%20neighbor%20paper.pdf / Supporting Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers: Findings From a Survey of State Policies / Porter, T., Kearns, S. / January 2005