Facts In Action

Reader's Comment Corner:

March 2004

I was pleased to read the article “Examining Family Child Care in MA” (Nov./Dec. 2003) which examines the “Massachusetts Family Child Care Survey” - a study by Acre Family Day Care and Wellesley College. The article points out some of the important policy implications such as “…systems play a significant role in assuring that providers are meeting regulations and receiving training.” The article also states that the “training and support they [systems] offer can have a crucial positive effect on the quality of family child care, and thus children’s school readiness.” Unfortunately, there are presently no system-wide standards of measuring the system’s impact on the quality of care in its contracted family child care programs. This study is a small step towards ensuring that children are receiving the highest quality care possible, and that a family child care provider’s skills and abilities to provide high quality care and education really is enhanced by their involvement with a system or network. To access this report in its entirety go to www.acrefamily.org and click on “Acre-Wellesley study.” To learn more about the Institute for Family Child Care Systems click on “What we do,” then click on “Institute.”

Submitted by Paula Bowie, Director, Institute for Family Child Care Systems at Acre Family Day Care.