Thriving Providers Project
Stabilizing the economic well-being of home-based child care providers so children can succeed
When providers thrive, children and families succeed.
Thriving Provider Project works with regional partners to provide direct cash payments to Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers and newly licensed Family Child Care (FCC) home providers.
How it works
This program will be piloted in multiple locations. Selected home-based child care providers/caregivers will receive direct cash payments for one year or more. Providers and caregivers will also receive peer and professional support that reduces isolation, increases access to other resources and builds wealth.
This initiative will test methods to determine the level of sufficiency of payment and consistency to create stability of care, and assess the impact of stable funding on the availability and quality of care offered to children and families.
Community
Funding
Professional Support
As a result of this work, we aim to shift policy to ensure that public systems embrace home-based caregivers and stabilize their economic well-being as a strategy to improve the availability of care for families and positive impacts on child outcomes.
Why?
Most young children, especially infants and toddlers, are cared for in home-based child care.
Home-based child care providers who are primarily family, friend and neighbor (FFN) caregivers are the largest population of caregivers serving the largest number of children 0-5. According to 2019 national data, about 5 million informal home-based caregivers care for 5.8 million children 0-5. Home-based child care is the preferred setting for: Black and Latinx families, for rural families, for families with nontraditional or unpredictable work schedules, and those with low-incomes.
Home-based child care providers and caregivers are essential community anchors.
In addition to providing child care that working families rely on, providers/caregivers offer parenting support and advice, food and basic needs, and connect families to essential services.
Financial hardship reduces caregiver well-being and that undermines child well-being.
Caregiver (both provider and parent) emotional well-being diminishes as a result of material hardship and can impact child well-being.
The financial conditions of home-based providers is precarious.
Most FFN caregivers, when paid, earn $7,420 annually for offering care and 40% of caregivers rely on at least one other job besides child care to make ends meet. FCC providers, who on average work 56 hours a week, earn $29,377 a year and 30% rely on at least one other job.
Home-based child care providers receive little public support.
Home-based child care providers and caregivers struggle to access public child care support including subsidies, grants and food reimbursements. Due to immigration status and other factors, many also have limited access to public benefits (unemployment, food aid, and housing support).
Regional Partners
Each regional partner mobilizes direct cash payment to FFN and newly licensed FCC home caregivers.
Project Operations
Home Grown is building a national initiative to enable local communities to quickly pilot and scale this concept.
Supports from Home Grown
Local communities can access the following supports from Home Grown as they establish their programs:
- Project management and integration (sharing and learning)
- Evaluation
- Policy strategy and advising
- Payment and data collection tools (Currently seeking partners, click to learn more.)
- Coaching, peer learning and support tools such as our benefits protection toolkit and platforms
- Backbone funding and fundraising support
Local Partners
- Champion this project and reflect the needs and priorities of the community
- Support local implementation and project management
- Recruit and enroll providers
- Convene local stakeholders to advise and inform key decisions
- Identify private and/or public funding
- Advance a local policy agenda
Our Funders
Home Grown leads the national funding for this initiative in partnership with private and public in local communities. Home Grown is a national funders collaborative committed to improving access to and the quality of home-based child care.
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