A strong early care and education (ECE) system is foundational to both family stability and economic growth. Yet, the sector is under significant strain: many child care providers are facing financial insecurity and emotional hardship, making it difficult to sustain their work.
In direct response to these nationwide experiences, Home Grown launched the Thriving Providers Project (TPP) – a first-of-its-kind direct cash transfer program specifically for home-based child care providers, who constitute the largest group of caregivers in the U.S.
The Thriving Providers Project in Philadelphia was comprised of 45 FCC providers who received $250 payments twice a month for 18 months from May 2024 to December 2025.
In this 18-month report, we describe what we have learned about HBCC providers’ experiences with TPP in Philadelphia and the impacts of receiving ongoing, unrestricted, and reliable cash transfers. We aim to understand how this financial support contributes to providers’ sense of economic stability, emotional well-being, and ability to remain in the field.
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