by Tonja Rucker

Now more than ever, cities nationwide are recognizing the importance of safe, quality child care.

More than 60 percent of U.S. households with children under the age of six have both parents in the work force, and more children now live with single mothers who must work to support them, according to the Department of Labor?s ?Child Health USA 2004 Report.?

The Annie E. Casey Foundation?s 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a publication on the well-being of America?s children, predicts that family, friend and neighbor (FFN) care ? supervision provided by relatives, friends and neighbors ? will be the most common type of child care for low-income children under the age of 6 with working parents.

Research in the 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book shows that the majority of infants, toddlers and children in low-income families are in FFN care.

Supporting Caregivers
Aware that FFN care is often the type of supervision that most children have while parents are working, some cities are reaching out to caregivers to offer support and guidance as these individuals may be more isolated and not linked to community resources.

Many city officials recognize successful early care and education for a city?s youngest residents as an important economic development variable that plays a critical role in a community?s ability to attract and retain a skilled work force.

In San Antonio, Dennis J. Campa, director of the Department of Community Initiatives, has expanded his city?s ?Early ON! School Readiness? program to include establishing an infrastructure to support caregivers providing FFN care.

Since 2000, the program has helped children gain essential skills for school success and educated parents and caregivers in their roles as children?s first teachers.

?Over the past six years, the city council has made the care, education and safety of our youngest residents one of their highest investment priorities,? said Campa. ?This continued and sustained focus underscores their unwavering commitment. Moreover, it serves as a critical lifeline that connects FFN providers and children in their care to mainstream supports and opportunities.?

To date, almost 500 FFN caregivers have attended at least one of the city?s 150 FFN workshops, covering topics such as social and emotional development, safety, discipline, health and nutrition, and language and literacy.

On August 15, in partnership with Making Connections San Antonio ? an initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation ? and various community partners, the city hosted the FFN Care Institute for competitively selected community-based organizations in each of the city?s council districts.

The institute featured advice from national experts, such as Nina Sazer O?Donnell, director of national strategies for United Way of America?s Success By 6 initiative; Sid Gardner, president of Children and Family Futures; and Dr. Moncrieff Cochran, professor of human development and director of the Cornell Early Childhood Program at Cornell University.

Close to 100 staff from delegate agencies attended the institute to gain a broader understanding of needs and to formulate plans for the upcoming fiscal year.

?It?s exciting that San Antonio is moving forward to create supports for family, friend and neighbor caregivers on a citywide scale,? said O?Donnell. ?This is a first in the nation and will go far toward assuring that all children are truly prepared and ready to succeed when they get to school.?

City Leaders Support FFN Care
Based upon recommendations from the 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book, city leaders may consider taking the following steps to support FFN care:

? Improve the levels of data, research and evaluation related to FFN care;

? Promote stronger local organizational integration and linkages between effective, high-quality child-care centers and the FFN care providers in the community;

? Expand efforts to identify best practices to improve FFN care;

? Increase and strengthen community-wide efforts to help parents make the best child care choices;

? Urge states to do more to encourage quality improvements in subsidized family-based care; and

? Make early care development a higher policy and funding priority at the local level.

Details: To download copies of the 2006 KIDS COUNT Data Book and the report on ?Family, Friend, and Neighbor Care: Strengthening a Critical Resource to Help Young Children Succeed,? or to view the KIDS COUNT Data Book online database, visit www.aecf.org/kidscount/.

For additional information on municipal early childhood initiatives, visit www.nlc.org/iyef or contact Tonja Rucker, senior program associate for early childhood success for the YEF Institute, at rucker@nlc.org or (202) 626-3004.