Family child care can be an exciting and rewarding field, and a wonderful opportunity to have a positive impact on the lives of children and their families in your community. Caring for a child is a tremendous responsibility and each State has established regulations that govern child care settings. We hope that the following information will help you prepare to open your home to families seeking high quality care for their children.Developing a child care program in your home involves exploration of a variety of issues. Here are some topics to consider when starting a family child care program:
Training requirements before providing care and ongoing professionaldevelopment; The Child care needs of the community; Licensing and professional requirements and standards; Legal requirements such as zoning and insurance; Appropriate use of your home's indoor and outdoor spaces; Health and safety issues, including accident and illness prevention and emergency procedures; Development of a curriculum and schedule of activities that meets the needs of the children; Appropriate equipment and materials; and Linkages with other community services and organizations.
Resources in Your State and Community
When starting a career in family child care, it is important to identify the resources for child care providers that exist in your community. NCCIC State Profiles give a summary of key information about child care in your State. On each Profile you will find:
A portion of your State’s requirements regarding child care. It includes the Maximum Staff/Child Ratios. The staff/child ratio indicates the number of caregivers per maximum number of children. (For example, 1:3 is 1 caregiver to 3 children.) It also includes the Minimum Staff Qualifications in your state for the responsibility of caring for children in your home.
Contact information for the State Child Care Licensing Agency. Contact this agency for a copy of your State’s regulations and other requirements for caring for children in your home, including procedures for becoming registered or licensed, and guidelines for keeping children safe and healthy while they are in your care.
Contact information for the Child Care Food Program Administrator. The Child Care Food Program may reimburse family child care providers for the cost of healthy meals and snacks. Contact this office for information on how to participate in the program.
Child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) can provide information about current rates that providers in your community charge and can link you with training opportunities and other resources. Once you are established, the R&R will also be valuable in letting families know about your services. The following organization can help you locate these types of resources: Child Care Aware
1319 F Street, NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004-1106
800-424-2246
World Wide Web: http://www.childcareaware.org
Child Care Aware is a national initiative which can help you find the child care resource and referral agency in your area. Child care resource and referral agencies can provide information about current market rates and can link you with training opportunities and other resources.
In some areas, family child care providers are organized into networks that offer training, resources, and group benefits such as health and liability insurance. Joining a local family child care provider association or support group can help you meet other family child care providers so that you can share information and resources with each other.
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
5202 Pinemont Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
801-269-9338
World Wide Web: http://www.nafcc.org
NAFCC is a national membership organization working with the more than 400 state and local family child care provider associations in the United States. NAFCC offers publications and technical assistance to promote training, professionalism, and leadership development and can refer you to local family child care associations and support groups.
Accessing resources available through your State’s Healthy Child Care America project can help you learn more about child care health and safety and can provide you with information about linking your program to comprehensive services in the community. Healthy Child Care America (HCCA)
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
888-227-5409
World Wide Web: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/hcca/
HCCA’s campaign is coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Bureau and Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The HCCA campaign is based on the principal that families, child care providers, and health providers in partnership can promote the healthy development of young children in child care and increase access to preventive health services and safe physical environments for children. The HCCA office can provide you with technical assistance, campaign materials (Blueprint for Action), and informational resources to help promote the campaign statewide or in your local community.
When starting a career in family child care, it is important to identify the resources for child care providers that exist in your community. NCCIC State Profiles give a summary of key information about child care in your State. On each Profile you will find:
A portion of your State’s requirements regarding child care. It includes the Maximum Staff/Child Ratios. The staff/child ratio indicates the number of caregivers per maximum number of children. (For example, 1:3 is 1 caregiver to 3 children.) It also includes the Minimum Staff Qualifications in your state for the responsibility of caring for children in your home. Contact information for the State Child Care Licensing Agency. Contact this agency for a copy of your State’s regulations and other requirements for caring for children in your home, including procedures for becoming registered or licensed, and guidelines for keeping children safe and healthy while they are in your care.
Contact information for the Child Care Food Program Administrator. The Child Care Food Program may reimburse family child care providers for the cost of healthy meals and snacks. Contact this office for information on how to participate in the program.
Child care resource and referral agencies (R&Rs) can provide information about current rates that providers in your community charge and can link you with training opportunities and other resources. Once you are established, the R&R will also be valuable in letting families know about your services. The following organization can help you locate these types of resources: Child Care Aware
1319 F Street, NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004-1106
800-424-2246
World Wide Web: http://www.childcareaware.org
Child Care Aware is a national initiative which can help you find the child care resource and referral agency in your area. Child care resource and referral agencies can provide information about current market rates and can link you with training opportunities and other resources.
In some areas, family child care providers are organized into networks that offer training, resources, and group benefits such as health and liability insurance. Joining a local family child care provider association or support group can help you meet other family child care providers so that you can share information and resources with each other.
National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC)
5202 Pinemont Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84123
801-269-9338
World Wide Web: http://www.nafcc.org
NAFCC is a national membership organization working with the more than 400 state and local family child care provider associations in the United States. NAFCC offers publications and technical assistance to promote training, professionalism, and leadership development and can refer you to local family child care associations and support groups.
Accessing resources available through your State’s Healthy Child Care America project can help you learn more about child care health and safety and can provide you with information about linking your program to comprehensive services in the community. Healthy Child Care America (HCCA)
American Academy of Pediatrics
141 Northwest Point Blvd.
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
888-227-5409
World Wide Web: http://www.aap.org/advocacy/hcca/
HCCA’s campaign is coordinated by the American Academy of Pediatrics in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Bureau and Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The HCCA campaign is based on the principal that families, child care providers, and health providers in partnership can promote the healthy development of young children in child care and increase access to preventive health services and safe physical environments for children. The HCCA office can provide you with technical assistance, campaign materials (Blueprint for Action), and informational resources to help promote the campaign statewide or in your local community.
Additional Health and Safety Resources
Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of Home Child Care Programs and the Caring for Our Children video series is available from the AAP Publications Department at 800-433-9016.
The Caring for Our Children standards for out-of-home child care programs is also available in full text on the National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care Web site at http://nrc.uchsc.edu, along with summaries of individual States’ licensure regulations.
Family Child Care as a Business
Family child care is also a small business, and as the owner-operator of a business, you will be responsible for many management details in order to be successful in your new profession. Some things to consider when developing your business plan include:
Setting rates: The fees you charge will provide the financial base for your business and your income. Setting your fees, explaining them to parents, and collecting them are necessary tasks. Your child care resource and referral agency or local family child care association can help you determine fair, competitive rates. They may also be able to provide you with information about serving low-income and other eligible families through the child care subsidy system in your community.
Record keeping: Attendance, medical, and payment records, as well as emergency contact information may be required by State regulations, the Child Care Food Program, and other public funding programs. In addition, these records will be fundamental to filing your federal and state tax returns. You will need to have accurate and complete records to receive full benefit of deductions associated with running a home-based business.
Contracts: To help eliminate possible misunderstandings between you and the families in your child care program, use contracts to clarify the rights and responsibilities of each party regarding payment rates and policies, hours that you will provide care, and other important details.
Liability insurance: Providers are responsible for the supervision of children in care at all times and for the appropriate handling of any emergency. Having the appropriate liability insurance can help protect your new livelihood. Additional information about liability insurance for family child care providers is available on the NCCIC Web site at http://www.nccic.org/faqs/liability.html.
National Organizations
The following national organizations provide information on the above-mentioned topics, as well as other child care issues, including program development and curriculum resources. The materials produced by these organizations may be free or available for purchase.The Children’s Foundation (CF)
725 15th Street NW, #505
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-3300
World Wide Web: http://www.childrensfoundation.net
CF has a series of one-page fact sheets on a variety of topics related to family child care, as well as several job-specific books and videos on curricula and child development for children birth through age 8. CF also has information about serving children with disabilities in your family child care home. These materials are available in English and Spanish.
Child Care Law Center (CCLC)
221 Pine Street, Third Floor
San Francisco 94104
415-394-7144
World Wide Web: http://www.childcarelaw.org
CCLC has information on a variety of legal issues including liability and insurance issues, zoning and deed restrictions, contracts, and materials about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA)
1319 F Street NW, Suite 810
Washington, DC 20004
202-393-5501
World Wide Web: http://www.naccrra.org
National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
1509 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
800-424-2460 or 202-232-8777
World Wide Web: http://www.naeyc.org
National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST)
Center for Research on Women
Wellesley College
106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02481
781-283-2547
Fax: 781-283-3657
World Wide Web: http://www.niost.org
NIOST (formerly the School-Age Child Care Project) works to improve the quantity and quality of out-of-school time programs throughout the country. NIOST focuses on education and training, community development, consultation, research, and public awareness and policy. NIOST serves children, parents, out-of-school time program staff, school principals and supervisors, community leaders, and government officials committed to improving out-of-school time options for children and youth.
National School-Age Care Alliance (NSACA)
1137 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02124
617-298-5012
World Wide Web: http://www.nsaca.org
NSACA is a national membership association of school-age child care professionals with 35 state affiliates. NSACA’s mission is to support professionals to provide quality programs through publications, conferences and peer support networks. The National Office of NSACA can help you find an affiliate group in your area that may be able to offer additional information about local funding resources and support for your project.
Redleaf National Institute (RNI)
450 N. Syndicate, Suite 5
St. Paul, MN 55104-4125
800-423-8309
World Wide Web: http://www.redleafinstitute.org
RNI is committed to improving the quality of family child care by helping providers successfully manage their businesses. RNI also offers support to trainers, tax preparers and organizations (Family Child Care Associations, Food Program sponsors, Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and family child care military coordinators) who assist providers with their business.
School-Age NOTES
P.O. Box 40205
Nashville, TN 37204
615-279-0700 or 800-410-8780
World Wide Web: http://www.schoolagenotes.com
This newsletter provides monthly ideas, strategies, and curriculum activities for working with school-agers. A quarterly resource catalog has materials on discipline, science, health, administration, activities and games for school-age programs and descriptions of model programs with contacts.
ZERO TO THREE/National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families
734 15th Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
202-638-1144
World Wide Web: http://www.zerotothree.org
ZERO TO THREE is a national organization focused exclusively on issues affecting infants and toddlers.
Training Information
Resources for Child Caring Learning Center
450 North Syndicate, Suite 5
St. Paul, MN 55104-4125
651-641-0305
World Wide Web: http://www.rcclearningcenter.org
Resources for Child Care Learning Center offers online business courses for family child care providers. The Business Series offers Web-based courses on the business basics of family child care. Each interactive course includes exercises, reading assignments and other recommended resources, and interaction with instructors (such as Tom Copeland) and with other providers. Additional Information is available on the Web at http://www.rcclearningcenter.org.
Best wishes to you as you begin the exciting process of developing your new child care business
