Facts In Action

Family child care systems in Massachusetts have launched a unique advocacy campaign aimed at educating both parents and lawmakers about family child care systems and the unique benefits they provide. Family child care systems are basically community-based networks of licensed family child care providers who offer care and education to children in a home setting. Few states have family child care systems, and of those that do, few are as structured as Massashusetts' systems. There are 75 systems in Massachusetts, which contract with approximately 2500 family child care providers. It is estimated that these systems serve 12,500 children across the Commonwealth.

The main message of the advocacy campaign, coordinated by the MADCA Family Child Care Systems Affiliates, is that family child care systems do more than provide child care. They also support small business development and, by pooling resources, deliver support services to families in ways individual providers cannot — for instance, by having a licensed social worker on staff. This is a unique coupling of services, and it is what makes family child care systems such a powerful resource.

Those joining in the advocacy campaign want parents and lawmakers to learn about the other additional benefits of family child care systems. They make the case that systems allow for monitoring of individual providers, which can be an assurance to parents that their children are safe and receiving quality services. Also, because systems can contract with the state for subsidies (individual providers cannot), they make it easier for parents to access child care assistance—therefore making child care more accessible to low- and moderate-income families. Finally, family child care systems can support the professional development of providers by offering training and technical assistance that many individual providers often have trouble accessing. Some systems even require course work in order for providers to contract with them.

The advocacy campaign is using three main strategies to communicate these messages. Advocates are communicating directly with state legislators through a letter writing and phone call campaign. They are also communicating to a larger audience through the media, with letters to the editor and Opinion-Editorial pieces. In addition, they are inviting legislators to visit their programs to see the benefits first hand, and they will be organizing a press event at the Statehouse.

Ultimately, this campaign will raise the public's awareness of the unique characteristics and benefits of family child care systems.

Facts in Action, September/October 2003