FAMILY, FRIEND, AND

NEIGHBOR CARE:
THE NURTURING HOMES APPROACH

Louise E. Davis, Ph.D., Kelly Carmody, Lydia Bethay, Chad Allgood,

Laura Dickson, Lori Elmore-Staton, Ph.D., & Julie Parker Ph.D.
WHY CHOOSE FAMILY HOME
PROVIDERS?
Financially feasible:
 Typically cost less than typical child care.
 May have a closer proximity to home and work for parents.
 Average cost of child care in MS is $4,863 year. (Boston Globe, 2014)
 Median household income in MS is $39,738. (Kids Count, 2014)

Less intimidating environment:

 Family home provider may be close family friend or relative.
 Child may be more familiar with other children receiving services.
PROBLEM
In some states, particularly MS, there is no mandatory registry
system for family child care providers.
 Children are less likely to be receiving quality child care.

Family home provider may not be adequately educated on

developmental needs of the children.
MS exceeds federal poverty guidelines compared to the national
average.
 Low-income families are more likely to choose family home care.
MS DEMOGRAPHICS
Population of children under 5 in MS: 201,453. (Kids Count, 2014)

32% of children under 5 in MS are living in poverty. (Kids Count, 2014)

Roughly 36% of children are in a family based care setting. (Kids Count,
2014)
AN EXAMPLE OF POVERTY IN
MS
WHAT IS FAMILY, FRIEND, &
NEIGHBOR CARE?
A program designed to provide educational technical assistance
and support to family-home providers
This program offers
 Technical assistance
 Educational materials
 Safety trainings
 Business Administration Scale
 Child Development Associate Credential (CDA)
 Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS)
WHAT WE DO…
Pre-assessment:
 Use Family Child Care Environmental Rating Scale-Revised Edition (FCCERS-R; Harms, Cryer, &
Clifford, 2007)
 Previously the Family Day Care Environment Rating Scale (FDCERS)
 Business Administration Scale (BAS; Talan & Bloom, 2009)

Based on pre-assessment, technical assistants will target areas of improvement.

Technical assistance encompasses:
 Educational resources
 CPR training and certification
 CDA
 QRIS

Post assessment administered to note the effectiveness of the program.

METHODS
Paired sample t-tests were conducted to compare scores from pretest and
posttest across the overall scale and each individual subscales using the
FDCERS and FCCERS-R.

FDCERS: n=909 (years 1-9)

FCCERS: n=537 (years 10-15)
RESULTS OF OUR PROGRAM
FDCERS YEAR 1-9 COMBINED
SCORES
FDCERS Year 1-9 Combined Scores
6

0
Space/Furnishings Basic Care Language/Reasoning Learning Activities Social Development Adult Needs Overall

Pre Post

n=909
RESULTS OF OUR PROGRAM
FCCERS YEAR 10-15
COMBINED SCORES
7

0
Space and Furnishings Personal Care Routines Listening and Talking Activities Interaction Program Structure Parents and Provider Overall

Pre Post

n=537
FFN QUALITY RATING AND
IMPROVEMENT SYSTEM
406 in-home providers enrolled in QRIS:
1 star: 288
2 star: 40
3 star: 31
4 star: 7
5 star: 9
Enrolled, not rated: 31
 SUCCESS STORIES
“I am teaching these kids and watching them develop
in every way. I also feel parents are more comfortable
knowing that they are leaving their children with
someone that is certified.” –Regina Hinton

“With all the childcare skills and safety I

have studied, I’m glad it was useful in saving
someone’s life.” –Latonya Pruitt

Coquita Ducksworth and Latonya

Pruitt (Photo source: WLOX
IDEAS FOR REPLICATION
We are grant funded.
Experienced early childhood professionals.
Trained with assessment tools.
Needs assessment for your area:
Who uses family home care?
Amount of children in family home care setting.
Demographic of children in family home care.
RECRUITING PARTICIPANTS
Word of mouth.
 Providers will tell other family care providers.

MSU Extension Service

 Display and distribute flyers.

USDA Food Program List

 http://www.fns.usda.gov/cacfp/family-day-care-homes
 This site provides a list of family home providers, and we will contact to see
who is keeping children full-time.
REFERENCES
 Boston Globe. (2014). Map: The average cost for child care by state. Retrieved from
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2014/07/02/map-the-average-cost-for-child-care-
state/LN65rSHXKNjr4eypyxT0WM/story.html
 Harms, T., Cryer, D., & Clifford, R. (2007). Family child care environment rating scale-revised. New
York: Teachers College Press.
 Harms, T. & Clifford, R. (1989). Family day care rating scale. New York: Teacher College Press
 Kids Count. (2014). Demographics income. Retrieved from
http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data#MS/2/0/char/0
 Talan, T. N. & Bloom, P. J. (2009). Business administration scale for family child care. New York:
Teachers College Press.