Family-based child care is a critical link in the early learning chain – 10 to 25 percent of children are in that setting – and a new report draws a blueprint for improving those sites, where quality can be hard to measure.

Researchers looked at connections between staffed support networks and family child care, reaching the unsurprising finding that this type of support can improve quality. What is more interesting is the report’s specific strategies that boost or do not boost quality. For example, on-site training was highly effective, while referrals to off-site training were ineffective.

It also suggested using a formal quality assessment tool – Washington’s Quality Rating and Improvement System comes to mind – and hiring coordinators holding bachelor’s degrees, who take graduate level courses in infant studies.

Obviously, the effort to improve child care cannot overlook family providers.

Many parents choose family child care for their young children because of its convenience, flexibility, and intimate family setting. The quality of care provided in these settings, however, is often reported to be low, especially for those serving children from low-income families. Because this group of children also tends to benefit even more from high-quality early care and education experiences than do their more advantaged peers, improving the quality of care in family child care homes is imperative for their healthy development and well-being. – “The Family Child Care Network Impact Study: Promising Strategies for Improving Family Child Care Quality.” (See text for footnotes.)

Thanks to the Center for Law and Social Policy for highlighting this research.

NEWS FLASH: What happens if quality early learning becomes too popular?

It looks like the increased enrollment will mean Florida must pitch in another $17.5 million this fiscal year, the Office of Economic & Demographic Research told lawmakers this week. –  “Pre-K enrollment up in Florida's VPK program (creating a budget problem).” Orlando Sentinel, 10/9/09.