New Municipal Action Guide Available on Improving Family, Friend and Neighbor Care

Why Care About FFN Care?

The early years from birth to age 5 are a time when young children experience rapid cognitive, social and emotional development. The availability of stimulating early learning activities is a critical determinant of a child’s future educational success. In fact, several studies have shown that as much as half of the educational achievement gap that exists between disadvantaged children and their peers by third grade is already evident by the time they enter school, and that this gap will continue to grow over time.

Recognizing the importance of early childhood success, local officials often direct their attention toward supporting formal child care settings, such as center-based care and pre-kindergarten programs. Yet this approach fails to reach the nearly half of young children under age 6 who are in the care of a relative, family friend or neighbor.

Family, friend and neighbor (FFN) care is the most common form of child care used by low-income families with young children. However, because of a lack of training information and support for FFN caregivers, an estimated one-third to one-half of FFN care settings may not adequately prepare children to enter school ready to learn. Helping FFN caregivers promote school readiness is therefore critical to the success of any efforts to close the educational achievement gap and address school dropout rates.

Municipal Strategies and Action Steps

NLC’s new Municipal Action Guide highlights strategies that city leaders can use to connect FFN caregivers with the information and support needed to promote early learning and healthy child development. Key municipal strategies include educating parents and caregivers about early learning and transition to kindergarten, connecting caregivers to community resources, promoting peer networking and support and encouraging training and professional development.

These strategies were identified through a joint, two-year technical assistance initiative sponsored by the YEF Institute and United Way Worldwide with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The 2007-2008 project helped municipal and United Way leaders in Atlanta; Denver; Des Moines, Iowa; Nashville, Tenn.; Providence, R.I., and San Antonio promote school readiness and support informal caregivers. 

Local officials involved in this project and municipal leaders from other cities have taken some of the following steps to implement the strategies mentioned above:

• Partnering with the local United Way, family-serving agencies, cultural and faith-based organizations and the business community to identify and reach FFN caregivers.

For instance, the City of Madison, Wis., has worked with the local United Way and child care resource and referral agency to engage FFN care providers in early childhood development trainings.

• Developing materials and activities that respond to the needs, interests and cultures of FFN caregivers.

The cities of Denver and San Antonio translate materials to support FFN caregivers into Spanish, including Play and Learn group resources, family resource guides and training materials.

• Creating places where FFN caregivers can come together for support and learning.

The City of Fort Worth, Texas, funds several Early Childhood Resource Centers that offer parent and caregiver education programs, libraries for materials that parents and FFN providers can use with children in their care, consultation with early childhood development specialists and facilitated support groups.

• Assessing needs and building capacity in the community over time.

In Seattle, the city and local community organizations used a statewide survey of FFN caregiving conducted by the University of Washington to determine where there were gaps in services for FFN care providers and to develop new professional development opportunities.

• Embedding efforts to improve FFN care in larger structures and initiatives to support early childhood success.

For example, the City of Richmond, Va., partners with the United Way of Greater Richmond on various aspects of its early care and education work, including efforts to support FFN caregivers.

Details: To download the Municipal Action Guide, visit www.nlc.org/iyef. For more information on NLC’s initiatives to help municipal leaders promote early childhood success, contact Tonja Rucker at (202) 626-3004 or rucker@nlc.org.