Facts In Action

Family child care providers across the country are becoming increasingly concerned with professional development. However, they face unique challenges in accessing training and courses: isolation, language barriers, and the temporary nature in which many view their job (see Page One article). A new report by The Child Care Careers Institute focused on family child care providers' concerns about professional development.

The Institute convened three focus groups of providers across Massachusetts, speaking with independent and system providers, as well as providers with various levels of experience and of diverse backgrouds. The discussions focused on several points, including: the effect of raising licensing standards on family child care providers, barriers to accessing professional development opportunities, and the design of a statewide professional development system.

Providers reported feeling confused by the standards and skeptical about their implementation. They recognized the need for higher licensing standards, such as coursework mentoring and apprenticeship for new providers; yet they felt caught between higher standards and inadequate compensation and training opportunities.

The report detailed recommendations made by providers, including that trainings be on evenings or weekends, be available in Spanish, and that Higher Education offer coursework that relates specifically to the work of operating family child care homes. Providers also indicated that college programs should recognize the role of experience and past coursework and be more flexible about the practicum requirement. At the state policy level, providers recommended a loan forgiveness or scholarship program for higher levels of training and tiered compensation based on both experience and training.

Based on the outcomes of the focus groups, The Institute made a number of recommendations, including: redesigning the training system to be more accessible and relevant to the work of providers, creating statewide scholarship and/or tuition forgiveness program for all practitioners, better compensation for all providers for their current work, and statewide benefit plans for providers. The success of the future system will depend in part on understanding and meeting the needs of family child care providers.

For more information contact Tasha Davidson at The Child Care Careers Institute: tasha@ececareers.org

Facts in Action, September/October 2003