You might be a preschool teacher, an assistant director, or a director at a child care center who has recently lost their job due to Covid-19. You might be an elementary school teacher or other educator who has been furloughed. 

Maybe you’ve spent the last 100 or so days at home with your own young children, and are realizing how much joy it brings you.

Or perhaps, you need care options that you can’t find in your own community, and you’re realizing you can build something better.

If any of these scenarios describes you, then you should consider opening your own in-home child care program. Also known as family child care, or “FCC,” this type of early learning environment is licensed child care offered within your own home.

Why In-home/Family Child Care (FCC)?

Family child care provides so many benefits for children and families.

Small group sizes and low ratios

• More opportunities for 1:1 interaction with each child
• Individualized care
• Strong child/caregiver relationships
• Strong social emotional development for children, which is a leading indicator of school readiness and predictor of future social & academic success

Mixed age groups

• Opportunities for children to interact and get along with children of varying ages – again, increased social emotional skills
• Leadership opportunities for older children
• Younger children get the opportunity to learn from older children

Continuity of care

• A strongly recommended best practice, wherein a provider works with a child for an extended period of time
• Allows for deep relationships to form
• Facilitates deep attachments
• Care and understanding of/for an individual child also deepens

More options for families

• Learning philosophy
• Daily schedule/routine
• Ages served
• Tuition and pricing

More culturally relevant for many families

Many families, particularly those with very young children, prefer for their children to be cared for in an intimate, more family-oriented setting. Family child care allows them to select this as a care option while still enrolling in a program that is licensed and regulated

Research shows that all of the above factors result in stronger outcomes for children, allowing them to achieve strong social emotional development skills which are a known key indicator for kindergarten readiness.

And during these times of uncertainty due to Covid-19, these smaller, more intimate environments appeal even more than before to parents. Keeping our children and our families safe is the #1 priority of everyone, and being able to meet the need for high quality care while also limiting exposure to larger groups is something critical across all communities.