In 2024, Mama Freda鈥檚 Tiny Tots Child Care opened as first in-home child care program in North Carolina.

The licensed family child care home (FCCH) in Kings Mountain is one of four of its kind across three states that the nonprofit, formerly known as East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, has opened in recent years to serve agricultural workers and their families.

The organization started launching home-based child care programs two years ago because of their convenience for families, their intimate environment for children and parents, and their fit for rural communities, Grow Early Learning staff told EdNC on a recent visit to Mama Freda鈥檚.

鈥淲e鈥檙e able to serve closer to where families actually live, and 鈥� it鈥檚 more affordable,鈥� said Andrea Martinez Langlois, Grow Early Learning鈥檚 family child care home manager. 鈥淲e can provide all the services that (we can at) the center level, just more intimate. And I like that we can bring people like Arikco in who has built such trust with families.鈥�

Support from Grow Early Learning has guided Arikco Watkins, owner of Mama Freda鈥檚, from opening the program in 2024 to creating a place of learning and consistency for families during an uncertain period.

Grow Early Learning, a grantee of the federal early childhood program Head Start, operates and one family child care home in North Carolina that together serve 24 of the state鈥檚 counties.

As Watkins opened Mama Freda鈥檚 with new support, federal policy change and government shutdowns have threatened Head Start programming across the country.

Last fall, the federal government shutdown 鈥� the in U.S. history 鈥� across 10 states. Ten of those centers were in North Carolina. At the time, Grow Early Leaning CEO Javier Gonz谩lez said the shutdown disrupted care for 250 children across the state.

When the federal government reopened on Nov. 13, however, challenges remained.

For many years, federal policy limited immigration enforcement officials from entering places of worship, hospitals, and schools 鈥� including 鈥� based on their status as 鈥�,鈥� or locations where people access activities essential to their well-being.

In January 2025, an executive order and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) removed these locations鈥� protected status, allowing immigration enforcement to occur in locations central to communities鈥� well-being. Across the country, Head Start providers witnessed the negative consequences of this federal action, from decreased attendance rates to detainment and family separation.

In response, 12 Head Start associations addressed a letter to Congress in March 2026 demanding changes to these policies. As lawmakers look to end a driven by disagreement over DHS funding in light of immigration enforcement tactics, the asks lawmakers to place restrictions on DHS to 鈥渆nsure that ICE and CBP agents no longer conduct enforcement actions at Head Start, child care, or other early learning programs with young children.鈥�

鈥淚t is essential to protect the children served by these programs nationwide so that parents can feel secure knowing their children are safe while they work, attend school, and support their families and the economy,鈥� reads the letter.

Last fall, some of the parents whose children attend Mama Freda鈥檚 caught word that immigration agents were nearby.

Watkins had already discussed a plan with Grow Early Learning staff. She was able to communicate with parents and assure them that agents were not allowed in the home without a judicial warrant. Parents picked up their children, some telling Watkins their preferences in case they were separated from their children. Watkins sent them home with extra food and told everyone to text her when they made it home. Everyone was safe.

But it鈥檚 not just during emergencies that Grow Early Learning鈥檚 support has made a difference for Watkins and her program, she said.

鈥淪ometimes I sit and I cry because 鈥斅營鈥檓 serious 鈥斅營鈥檝e never had this opportunity, or even had this support,鈥� she said.

The difference made by funding and coaching

Grow Early Learning鈥檚 funding, technical assistance and coaching, and emotional support has changed the experience of owning and operating a family child care home, Watkins said. She knows what it鈥檚 like to do it all on her own.

After getting married and having kids in her early 20s, Watkins said she struggled to find child care for her own children and wanted a job with more flexibility. She drew inspiration from her mother, Freda, who took care of the neighborhood鈥檚 children when Watkins was a child. She decided to open her first family child care home, which offered 24/7 care, and ran it for seven years on her own.

鈥淲e wear many hats,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are the cooks, we are the teachers, we are the disciplinarian. We are the secretary. We have to do it all.鈥�

The wide range of demands, along with the isolation that comes with limited adult interaction, are common reasons for burnout in the field.

In North Carolina, the number of family child care homes has decreased by 17% since 2018, according to the state鈥檚 .

Watkins鈥� winding journey, including running a child care center for a brief time before considering leaving the field altogether, brought her back to in-home care. When she left a job as a teacher at a local child care center to pursue opening a new program of her own, she did not know how she would find the funding or the children.

鈥淪omething was like 鈥� you need to do it, you need to do it,鈥� she said. Watkins moved forward with getting a new license and named the program in memory of her late mother.

The same day Watkins left her job, she got a call from Destiny Simmons, a family child care home specialist at Grow Early Learning. Simmons had been searching for new licensed programs to partner with the organization.

Simmons not only helped Watkins find children and open her program, but she also visits every two weeks to coach Watkins and meet with families. As part of the Head Start model, Simmons provides case management services to families. She connects them with resources from health to education and helps them set and meet goals.

Four children in Watkins鈥� program are funded through Grow Early Learning, but the coaching and high-quality curriculum provided by Grow Early Learning improves the experience for all children in the program, Watkins said.

And the consistent funding has allowed Watkins to hire other staff, including one full-time and two part-time employees. Watkins said having a team of adults on site makes the job less stressful and isolating 鈥� and improves the care and education they are able to provide to children.

鈥淲hen you think of a family child care home, it鈥檚 just you,鈥� Watkins said. 鈥淏ut then when you鈥檝e got a team that comes in, and not just a team, but (it) becomes family.鈥�

Supporting 鈥榟ow we get food on our table鈥�

For 50 years, Grow Early Learning has served agricultural workers鈥� child care needs across the country, including an estimated workers residing with their families in North Carolina.

The federal 2024 Appropriations Act , allowing migrant and seasonal Head Start programs to serve any child who has one family member whose income comes primarily from agricultural employment and removing prior restrictions based on federal poverty guidelines.

Grow Early Learning鈥檚 explains that these new eligibility requirements have created more opportunities for families to enroll children at one of Grow Early Learnings鈥� campuses 鈥� including four children enrolled at Mama Freda鈥檚.

鈥淭his is how we get food on our table,鈥� said Martinez Langlois of the agricultural families Grow Early Learning serves. 鈥淭his is a population that is important and a daily part of everyone鈥檚 lives. So the idea that us together can support that is beautiful.鈥�

New ways to reach families

In recent years, Simmons and Martinez Langlois have built Grow Early Learning鈥檚 first family child care programs from the ground up.

鈥淲e started from ground zero,鈥� Simmons said.

They knew that small, in-home programs would help them better serve rural places with small pockets of children, where larger centers do not make sense. And they knew many families prefer the family-like environment, especially for their youngest children. Nationally, infants and toddlers are more likely to be served through in-home programs than centers, .

The Grow Early Learning team had to find families that needed care and providers who were willing to partner with them and locate physically close enough to the families. They had to address a host of logistical challenges home-based programs face, like navigating zoning and homeowners association rules. They also walk new providers through the licensing process, which can be confusing and overwhelming.

鈥淲e have connections where we can bring you from zero to licensed,鈥� Martinez Langlois said. 鈥淲e make it happen.鈥�

They have learned a lot, and they know there is a need for more facilities.

鈥淲e suffer through the same struggle that most people in rural areas suffer with, which is there is more children who need care than there is (individuals) available to provide it,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o we are constantly looking at: we know there鈥檚 a population here, there are no providers right now, but there may be soon, and contacting either licensing specialists or regional specialists.鈥�

Growing Early Learning has partnered with the Southwestern Child Development Commission鈥檚 , one of several efforts in North Carolina to reverse the trend of home-based program closures.

Finding the right people and building relationships takes time, Martinez Langlois said.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 make providers pop out of thin air,鈥� she said.

Creating community, giving back

Building relationships with parents, too, takes time. But Watkins鈥� care for her parents, in addition to support from the Grow Early Learning team, has built a community at Mama Freda鈥檚 that protects its members鈥� well-being.

When Watkins encountered a language barrier with some of her parents who primarily speak Spanish, for example, she prioritized finding a solution in a translating device to make sure she could communicate with them, and she is in the process of hiring a staff member bilingual in English and Spanish. More recently, outside of the family care home facility鈥檚 operating hours, she hosted a Halloween party and planned an Easter egg hunt for the spring 鈥� both events that she plans with parents鈥� schedules in mind to make sure as many of her families as possible can attend and be in community with one another.

鈥淚 center it around them,鈥� said Watkins of her approach to engaging with students鈥� parents, adding that the care she provides is reciprocated by parents in both words and actions.

鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing just how supportive they are and how they appreciate. It shows me that they appreciate what I do for their babies,鈥� she said.

Simmons added that relationships between parents have also helped parents navigate the state鈥檚 early childhood health and education system and its requirements, like registering children in kindergarten or signing up for Medicaid.

鈥淚 feel like they advocate for each other because it鈥檚 so intimate,鈥� she said.

Supporting each other extends to times of uncertainty at the federal level. When navigating the moment of potential of immigration enforcement last fall, Martinez Langlois said Grow Early Learning provided specific mental health support to families, like a therapist coming to the family child care home after the incident.

Watkins also said she checked in with parents on how they were feeling and what she or Grow Early Learning could do to support them.

鈥淚 love my job so much because I can help,鈥� Watkins said, 鈥淲hen you take the time out, and you give back to others, it鈥檒l come back to you. It always does.鈥�

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

After struggling for months to sustain her child care business at home, Minerva Caba Toribio thought she would have to close due to rent increases and high costs. But now, she鈥檚 able to operate out of a classroom located on Granite Street in Worcester at the Guild of St. Agnes, the largest early education and care agency in Central Massachusetts. Caba Toribio has space for 10 children, with five currently enrolled and three others that will soon be joining.

鈥淲e serve Brazilian families, Latin American families, immigrant families,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey feel comfortable to see that we can speak the same language and we have the same traditions.鈥�

Caba Toribio will be able to use the space rent-free for two years. By saving on rent, utilities, meals, and other expenses, she hopes to restart her home-based child care service once the time is up.

It鈥檚 all part of a pilot program called the , formed in partnership by the Guild of St. Agnes 鈥� which serves almost 2,000 children across roughly 150 child care establishments 鈥� and the Worcester-based Seven Hills Foundation 鈥� which provides supportive services to children, adults, and seniors with disabilities and other life challenges. Their new family child care incubator 鈥� only the third of its kind in the nation 鈥� provides two classroom spaces that were empty due to a lack of staffing to two licensed educators to operate their child care businesses while they prepare to later offer the service in their homes. The program is meant to provide more child care slots in an area where demand is high but supply is low, while also making it easier for family child care entrepreneurs to get their start.

鈥淚n addition to expanding care to more children and families by using classrooms that were otherwise empty, we are able to share services such as transportation, healthy meals, and business support to the resident educators as they establish their new businesses,鈥� said Sharon MacDonald, president and CEO of the Guild of St. Agnes.

The program, which can accommodate up to 20 children, was modeled after in Boston, which was the first of its kind in the Commonwealth and provides short-term program space, resources, and training for newly licensed family child care entrepreneurs. The other incubator program in San Francisco in 2019 and has trained and established more than 100 new child care businesses, creating over 800 new child care slots.

鈥淚 was thinking about closing my business, so when I heard about the incubator, I thought, 鈥楾hat can’t be possible. I will have a space where I can keep working with the same families that I had at my home?鈥欌�� Caba Toribio said.

The other resident educator, Eva Fajardo Marroqu铆n, is a newly licensed provider who will lead the second classroom with 10 children.

Around 59,000 (70 percent) of infants, around 43,000 (43 percent) of toddlers, and around 10,000 (5 percent) of preschoolers in Massachusetts live in a child care . The state defines this as areas where for every three children there is only one child care slot, though there are regions in central Massachusetts where the ratio is greater than ten children to one slot.

Granite Street is in the heart of one of Worcester鈥檚 child care , according to Leslie Baker, program director for the Seven Hills Foundation鈥檚 Center for Childcare Careers.

The children鈥檚 tuition is covered by state subsidies, meaning the Guild of St. Agnes and the Seven Hills Foundation are not responsible for the educators鈥� salaries. A $1 million grant from the Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts allows them to pay for the building, the classroom equipment and supplies, and a full-time project coordinator who provides case management, business training, and professional development support for the two educators. (The foundation also provides grant funding to CommonWealth Beacon.) The educators will soon establish savings accounts so the coordinator can document their progress towards their long-term business goals.

Cost isn鈥檛 the only barrier that aspiring educators face in trying to open family child care businesses. Many, including Caba Toribio, face landlord resistance and struggle to find homes or apartments that allow family child care to operate. Others struggle with navigating the licensing process with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care.

Many of the families served by the Guild鈥檚 child care programs qualify for (CCFA) vouchers from the state. But that system remains underfunded even after the Legislature approved Gov. Maura Healey鈥檚 proposal to change the income eligibility threshold from 50 percent of the state median income to 85 percent last year. That move added 4,000 low and moderate-income families to the program, but more than 30,000 children were on the statewide waitlist for the program at the end of 2025.

鈥淚t’s opportunities like this that are making sure we are creating pathways for early educators, because the more classrooms we can fill with great educators, the more slots that will become available for the littlest learners in our community,鈥� said Sen. Robyn Kennedy, a Democrat representing Worcester, at the pilot program鈥檚 ribbon-cutting event on Monday.

The Commonwealth鈥檚 early child care system continues to suffer from a due to low earnings, a lack of employee benefits, and subsequently high turnover.

Among family child care program owners and employees, just over 40 percent receive paid time off, around 25 percent receive paid sick leave, around five percent receive discounted child care, and less than 8 percent receive dental insurance and retirements benefits, according to a 2025 published by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Just 4 percent of employees receive health insurance compared to 15 percent of owners.

鈥淚 don’t think we often think of childcare as a business,鈥� said Sen. Michael Moore, a Millbury Democrat who represents Worcester. 鈥淵ou can’t be successful if you can’t operate it, put the business model together, and be able to afford it.鈥�

Caba Toribio said many families prefer home-based family child care over center-based child care because it is often less expensive, more flexible, and tightly knit.

鈥淲e have a small group. Some parents prefer that. The children have the opportunity to feel like they are part of a family,鈥� she said. 鈥淗ere in the center, I keep the same concept. Because it’s a small group, they feel safe.鈥�

Baker and MacDonald want to ensure that the program is sustained after the educators move out in two years.

鈥淎s they eventually launch their business, part of the project is to backfill it and continue this on,鈥� MacDonald said. 鈥淥ne of the questions, obviously, is: What does it cost to do that without the grant funding?鈥�

They are confident that eventually, other cities and programs across the state will pursue their own incubator projects.

鈥淲e’re trying to develop a model that could be replicable by other family child care systems,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淲e’d like to be that resource for other systems that are interested in developing this.鈥�

This article is part of CommonWealth Beacon鈥檚 ongoing coverage of early childhood education issues and is funded, in part, by the .

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

During the five years when pandemic-era funding was used to stabilize the state鈥檚 licensed child care programs, the number of licensed FCCHs decreased by 19%. Since the funding ran out at the , they鈥檝e decreased by 3% 鈥� the largest single-quarter decline in the two years since EdNC began tracking these changes.  

There are efforts around the state the reverse this trend.

In a Charlotte banquet hall on a recent Saturday night, leaders in ballgowns and tuxedos gathered together to celebrate a group of entrepreneurs who had completed a leadership program specifically for home-based providers. 

With funding from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation, (HBCC Haven) program paid monthly stipends to the 10 members of the inaugural cohort 鈥� women who operate FCCHs and those who run license-exempt family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care in their communities across North Carolina.

The cohort participated in leadership training, mentorship, and advocacy skill-building with the goal of empowering them to advance change in the state鈥檚 child care systems. They completed their training at a crucial moment for home-based care in North Carolina.

Diverging numbers for licensed centers and homes

Based on data provided by the N.C. Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) Council in partnership with the state Division of Child Development and Early Education (DCDEE), EdNC that North Carolina lost less than 6% of licensed child care programs, which include both centers and FCCHs, during the five years when stabilization grants were used to supplement teacher wages. 

That remains true since the end of stabilization grants, but data on licensed child care through the end of June 2025 shows that FCCHs now make up all of those net losses because the number of licensed child centers has returned to 鈥� and slightly surpassed 鈥� pre-pandemic levels.

There were 3,879 licensed child care centers in February 2020 and 3,886 in June 2025 鈥� a net gain of seven sites. During that same period, the number of licensed FCCHs dropped from 1,363 to 1,061 鈥� a net loss of 302 sites. 

And from April to June 2025, the first quarter since the end of stabilization grants, North Carolina had a net gain of 44 licensed child care centers. FCCHs saw a net loss of 35 FCCHs in that timeframe. 

Despite the net gain in the number of licensed child care centers, enrollment has decreased by 2% since before the pandemic. For licensed FCHHs, that decline is 23%. The overall has increased in North Carolina over the last five years.

As EdNC works in coming months to understand both the recent increase in the number of licensed child care centers and the decrease in overall enrollment, please reach out to Katie Dukes with any insights you might have.

While we don鈥檛 yet know why the number of licensed centers is increasing, Courtney Alexander, a program director for MDC, has a strong sense of why licensed FCCHs are decreasing.

鈥淢any of the family child care home providers do not have retirement (funds), and they do not have (health care) benefits, and many of them are already over 40 or over 50,鈥� Alexander said. 

Alexander said some of her own colleagues are former home-based providers who gave up their licenses to take other forms of early childhood work that would provide access to health care and retirement benefits.

鈥淚f the state was able to offer benefits to every early care and education teacher like they offer to the public school teachers, that would be a great infusion of support,鈥� Alexander said. 

And as home-based providers leave the early care and learning workforce, Alexander said there鈥檚 little incentive for new educators to fill those gaps due in part to low wages and lack of benefits 鈥� a problem faced by centers as well.

Role of home-based early care and learning

While a greater number of North Carolina鈥檚 youngest learners are enrolled in licensed centers than in licensed FCCHs, home-based care plays an essential role in the state鈥檚 early care and learning landscape. 

鈥淲hy it matters is the net loss of those spaces is very important to a family鈥檚 ability to be able to find care,鈥� Alexander said. 

Alexander and Theresa Stacker, executive director of NC Early Childhood Foundation, identified a wide variety of reasons that families choose home-based care. 

In rural areas with less population density, home-based care is more practical than centers. Home-based care can also be the best cultural match for families, especially when it comes to language development. Home-based providers can provide more one-on-one learning opportunities, which is especially beneficial to identifying and supporting students with learning differences. 

Both Alexander and Stacker noted that home-based providers have more flexible hours, which can benefit factory and health care workers, as well as first responders and some military personnel. 

鈥淔amily child care homes have been, by far, the leaders of having different available shifts for families,鈥� Stacker said. 

鈥淲here would families who work second and third shift find care if they only had centers to rely on?鈥� Alexander said. 

Home-based early care and learning also plays an important role in providing infant care. 

Alexander noted that parents tend to prefer home-based programs over center-based programs when it comes to infants. 

She said new parents especially are more likely to want their infants to be with people from their community who they already know and trust, and who will develop a personal relationship with their child.

In licensed care, FCCHs enroll a higher proportion of infants than centers. In February 2020, 9% of students enrolled in FCCHs were infants, compared to 6% of students enrolled at centers. 

The net loss of licensed FCCHs is affecting the availability of infant care. By June 2025, infant enrollment at centers had dropped one percentage point 鈥� but it had dropped three percentage points at FCCHs. 

For both Alexander and Stacker, the decrease in licensed FCCHs represents a decrease in families having the freedom to choose the best early care and learning fit for their children. 

鈥淭he families choose these women because they trust them and because they don鈥檛 want to worry about their children while they鈥檙e trying to work,鈥� Alexander said. 

鈥淲hen you lose family child care homes, you鈥檙e losing an important piece of that child care fabric,鈥� Stacker said. 

Subgroup trends

In addition to monitoring overall licensed child care trends, there are three subgroups of counties that EdNC has been following since we started tracking quarterly net gains and losses in licensed child care. 

Here鈥檚 the latest on the western counties that make up the area covered by the , majority-Black counties, and counties with large Indigenous populations.

In the Dogwood counties (Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey), the number of licensed child care sites is 3% lower than before the pandemic.

In the majority-Black counties (Bertie, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, Vance, Warren, and Washington), the number of licensed child care sites remained relatively stable during and after the pandemic, with the same number of licensed child care sites in June 2025 as February 2020. 

And in Robeson and Swain, which both have large Indigenous populations, the number of licensed child care sites has also remained relatively stable. It鈥檚 worth noting that while the number of licensed sites in Robeson is still slightly higher than before the pandemic, it鈥檚 been decreasing since fall 2024. 

Editor鈥檚 note: The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation and the Dogwood Health Trust support the work of EducationNC.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a .

In March, Child Trends researcher Winnie Li and her colleagues published that considers the impact of the decline of listed home-based child care providers on parental satisfaction with the child care market. I was excited to interview Winnie and to learn more about this study and the implications of her findings. I am hopeful this work can inspire additional research and inquiry around the effects of the decline of home-based child care on children and families.

Natalie Renew: Can you share a little about yourself and your work in early childhood research?

Winnie Li: I鈥檓 Winnie Li, a senior scientist at Child Trends, a nonprofit, non-partisan research organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. My focus lies primarily in the realm of early childhood policy research, where I leverage my expertise in data analysis to drive evidence-based policy making. A significant portion of my work also involves researching family access to child care, ensuring all families have equitable access to quality child care services. I believe that early childhood experiences shape the future of our society, and I’m passionate about contributing to this critical area.

Renew: Can you share a little background on this research study? Why did you select this topic? What were you hoping to understand?聽

Li: Absolutely. In 2019, my colleagues and I noticed an alarming trend in data from the National Survey of Early Care and Education: the number of home-based child care (HBCC) providers listed on state administrative lists had declined by 25 percent nationwide over the past decade. This sparked our interest, given the vital role HBCC providers play in caring for nearly a third of children under age five in the United States.

We were deeply intrigued and concerned about the potential repercussions of this decline on the child care market. Specifically, our objective was to examine its impact on families’ perceptions of child care access. The dwindling number of HBCC providers raised serious questions for us:

• Would parents begin to perceive early childhood education as less affordable and equitable?
• Would there be a rise in families’ dissatisfaction with the quality of child care?
• Would they start feeling that their needs were not adequately met?

These questions served as the impetus for our research study, pushing us to delve deeper into understanding the shifting dynamics of the child care market and its implications on families.

Renew: What are the key findings of this study?

Li: Our analysis showed that there was a severe decline in HBCC providers from 2010 to 2019 in almost every state. New Mexico saw the largest decline, with only 47% of the HBCC providers remaining in 2019 as compared to 2010.

Our analysis revealed an intriguing pattern: the decrease in HBCC providers correlated with a rise in negative public reviews left online by parents, even after we accounted for a number of factors, such as the number of children and the number of center-based providers in the state. The strongest association was observed in relation to cost. On average, for every drop of 1,000 HBCC providers in a state, we saw an increase of roughly 2 negative reviews on cost. This underscores the impact of the decline in HBCC providers on public sentiment, especially concerning affordability.

Renew: What are the causes of the decline of care in so many states? Does your study help us understand these causes?

Li: While our study sheds light on the decline in HBCC providers and its implications, pinpointing the precise causes of this decline wasn’t our primary objective. The specific policies, economic conditions or initiatives that might be driving this decrease in HBCC providers across states would require further, more specialized research. However, it’s crucial that future research explores this question to fully comprehend the dynamics at play and develop effective solutions.

Renew: How do you interpret these findings? What are your takeaways? What surprised you in what you found?

Li: Our results draw a clear link between the decline in HBCC providers and parental dissatisfaction. These findings underscore the critical need for policy initiatives that address the root causes behind the shrinking number of HBCC providers, while simultaneously advancing child care quality.

The takeaways from our study emphasize the importance of ensuring that families have access to a broad array of high-quality child care options. Access to high-quality child care has wider implications for the health and well-being of our communities, not just the children receiving child care services.

What surprised us in our findings was the direct correlation between the decline of HBCC providers and the rise in public dissatisfaction, particularly concerning cost. It demonstrates a clear indication of the latent pressures families face in accessing affordable and quality child care.

Renew: What are some of the limitations of the study? What would you have wanted to explore further that you were not able to?

Li: Our study has two limitations that are important to note. One is on the data source, and the other is on the methodology of topic analysis. Our study relied on publicly available English-language online reviews, which might not holistically reflect the experiences and perceptions of all parents. It’s plausible that certain groups may be more inclined to leave online reviews than others, potentially skewing the results.

Secondly, our study relied on the use of topic analysis to categorize the reviews into different access dimensions. While this approach has the advantage of being able to handle large volumes of text data, it is subject to potential biases and limitations, such as the difficulty in accurately categorizing complex or nuanced reviews.

Renew: Much of the research work of this study was going on during the pandemic at a time when the role of child care was elevated in the national media and immediately felt among many families including my own. What was it like working on this project during that time?

Li: Indeed, the pandemic has served as a stark reminder of the critical role that child care plays, not just for families, but for the broader economy as well.

On a personal level, the pandemic influenced my own child care decisions. Due to safety concerns, I transitioned my then 3-year-old from a larger, center-based child care provider to a home-based child care.

This experience gave me firsthand insight into the importance of home-based child care. It is a constant reminder of how important this work is and it underscored the importance of our research on HBCC providers in shaping a resilient and equitable child care system during and beyond the pandemic.

Renew: I believe your research offers important and previously unstudied insights on the effects on parents of policies and practices that have resulted in the decline of home-based care. Where would you hope to go next with this research? What other questions might further develop insight into this critical issue?

Li: I agree that our research has brought to light some previously unexplored effects on parents of policies and practices resulting in the decline of HBCC. Building on these insights, we could delve deeper into this issue and understand the differences in parents鈥� perceptions of home-based versus center-based child care providers.

We could also compare and analyze differences in utilization and topics mentioned across different income groups. We also want to uncover parents’ perceptions and preferences around child care services, particularly their experiences with home-based and center-based providers.

By exploring the unique attributes of HBCC providers and diving into parents’ preferences, our findings could inform strategies to better support and enhance the home-based child care sector. This, in turn, could benefit parents, children and communities alike.

The Vineyard鈥檚 year-round population, which largely comprises tradespeople and service industry workers, does not lead a glamorous lifestyle, explains Joanne Lambert, a longtime early child educator on the Vineyard. 鈥淪imple geography limits our resources,鈥� she says, especially with regards to affordable housing. A community needs assessment in 2018 also revealed high-quality child care to be a 鈥渟ignificant concern.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 called family child care for a reason,鈥� says Lambert, who is leading an effort to increase the quantity and quality of home-based programs on the Vineyard. Recipient of a to promote sustainable island living as well as a 2021 from the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative, she provides mentoring and professional development for Martha鈥檚 Vineyard鈥檚 community of educators.

鈥淭he Zaentz FCC Innovation Networks Award was designed to highlight and strengthen precisely this type of provider-led peer learning work,鈥� says Zaentz Initiative co-director Nonie Lesaux. 鈥淔CC programs have so many strengths and play a pivotal role in our diverse communities nationwide. As we think about the pandemic recovery, FCCs are crucial; they are set up to serve small, mixed-age groups of children, and they are often more flexible than other care types. Yet FCC educators tend to lack the support and professional networks that are available in other early education settings. We are thrilled to be able to support educators like Joanne, who are leading meaningful, innovative work that will benefit their colleagues as well as the children and families they serve.鈥�

Lambert notes that on the Vineyard, as is the case around the country, the pandemic has opened people鈥檚 eyes to the importance of reliable, high-quality child care to the functioning of the economy. In addition to the mere fact of having someone to look after the children, the benefits of getting them ready for school are proven in study after study. Kindergarten teachers report that the children who鈥檝e been through FCC are more developed in their social skills than those who did not.

FCC, Lambert explains, often makes sense for children who are too young for a child care center or who aren鈥檛 going to thrive in a center. 鈥淭hey get individual attention,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e really get to know those kids.鈥�

After 30-plus years as an early childhood educator and business owner on Martha鈥檚 Vineyard, leading the network has meant a new stage in Lambert鈥檚 career. 鈥淚 found a career I loved,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 my turn to spread the word and, hopefully, to build up the supply to come closer to meeting the demand.鈥�

The opportunities Lambert sees on Martha鈥檚 Vineyard include:

• Immigrants. She mentions a Brazilian woman who wants to provide care beyond the Vineyard鈥檚 community of Portuguese-speaking families but is finding that English-speaking families are hesitant. Fostering a greater understanding on the island of the benefits inherent in early exposure to languages and cultures could lead to more immigrants finding child care to be a viable career choice, which would expand the pool of providers鈥攁n economic and social win for everyone.
• Real estate. There isn鈥檛 a lot of undeveloped land on the island, but existing homes and buildings could be renovated to accommodate child care. Collaboration among and other local stakeholders might lead to solutions that expand the availability of space for care.
• Workforce. Lambert engages with parents who might solve their own child care needs and become part of the bigger solution by opening a licensed program at home. In addition, Martha鈥檚 Vineyard Regional High School leading to certification in early childhood education.

On any given day, Lambert might help a provider with the process of securing or renewing a license to provide care, advise someone on the renovations necessary to bring spaces up to code or speak to a group about the opportunity of pursuing early childhood education as a career path. In addition, she holds structured get-togethers with 10 licensed care workers every month. Initially, these sessions brought experts from elsewhere in the state, but the pandemic made arrangements challenging, and this obstacle led to a realization for Lambert: 鈥淲hy not connect better with the resources we have right here?鈥� The Vineyard has an artistic community to draw upon; it has musicians and yoga teachers. It has business owners with an array of expertise relevant to child care business proprietors. 鈥淐ontracts, payment schedules鈥攖hat鈥檚 like Greek to them,鈥� she laughs.

In other words, if island life contributes to some of their problems, it鈥檚 also a source of their strength. 鈥淲e have to depend on each other,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e have to be creative.鈥� As the Vineyard emerges from the pandemic, Lambert is gratified to see a renewed sense of commitment among families and businesses to finding solutions together. 鈥淭he idea of a network is catching on,鈥� she says.