NC Home Based Child Care Initiative

MDC seeks to uplift Home-Based Child Care (HBCC) as a vital and valued part of the early childhood system through two interconnected systems change initiatives: a community of practice of HBCC networks and a leadership development program of providers called Haven. These programs work together to strengthen the capacity and voice of those directly impacted by the inequities of NC’s child care system.

HBCC is a widely utilized form of care for children, preschool through age five, and it is the most common child care placement for infants and toddlers. HBCC includes both formal, regulated care, such as licensed family child care homes, license-exempt family child care homes, and care provided by Family, Friends, & Neighbors also known as FFN care. It is estimated that 64% of children under age 6 in North Carolina are being cared for in FFN care.

HBCC, both formal and informal, provides critical infrastructure in our early childhood system and is integral to meeting the needs of families at a time when families are struggling to find affordable child care and supply cannot keep up with demand. Despite its prevalence, HBCC providers do not receive equitable resources, support, or recognition from our early childhood system which has prioritized licensed, center-based settings. This has contributed to the decline of licensed family child care homes throughout the state. HBCC providers face policy and regulatory barriers and problematic narratives about the care they provide, which are rooted in systemic and structural racism that has been well documented throughout the U.S. child care system.

MDC’s work with the Community of Practice and Haven highlights and supports the advocacy efforts that HBCC providers and networks put forth to shift the narrative and change the system. We embed principles of racial equity, equity-centered leadership, language justice, and co-design throughout these initiatives.

A Network of Networks: HBCC Community of Practice

MDC serves as the convenor of a community of practice of HBCC networks across North Carolina as they build out their infrastructure to support HBCC providers and

families in their communities. Co-designed in partnership with the networks, the Community of Practice aims to:

1. Foster collaboration and shared learning to expand the capacity of NC HBCC networks to implement strategies that strengthen their support of local HBCC providers.
2. Leverage learnings and collective capacity to identify and advance strategies for creating an equitable and inclusive system for HBCC providers and the families they serve.

Network leaders come together every other month as a group to discuss topics of shared interest and meet with MDC on alternating months to contribute to codesign and receive support on their local work. After a year of community building, the Community of Practice is preparing for a public launch this fall. More information to come.

Strengthening Provider Leadership: Haven

MDC, inspired by the work of Home Grown, leads a state-level leadership initiative with 10 HBCC providers from across North Carolina. HBCC Haven is a two-year cohort program that empowers provider leaders to expand their networks and advance change in the child care system in North Carolina through leadership development, mentorship, advocacy skill-building, and financial support for their work. Haven’s goals are to:

1. Invest in and strengthen provider leaders as they work to have a voice in policy and decision-making and grow their local networks of providers and parents.
2. Create a community of provider leaders that is inclusive of all home-based child care providers, both licensed family child care (FCC) providers and Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers.

Providers meet monthly with MDC for technical support and a mentor who assists them in following the steps necessary to accomplish their goals. In addition to that support, they come together bi-annually to learn and celebrate each other’s success. Leading this work are active child care advocates and former child care providers Laterria Lassiter and Courtney Alexander. Provider leaders were selected from across the state and represent the diversity of care that makes up NC’s HBCC community. Please take a moment to read this blog post showcasing the advocacy efforts of our providers and mentors. Below are graphs illustrating the demographic diversity of the providers in the cohort. For more about the Haven cohort and model, please visit us at the HBCC Haven webpage.