Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care Resources
Research has shown significant number of infants and toddlers are being cared for in Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) settings. CCDF funds can be used by State and Territories wanting to improve quality in FFN care. The materials in this section highlight some of the work being done to support States and Territories with FFN care.
Family, Friend and Neighbor is defined in many ways and is also known as kith and kin care or informal care, as opposed to care provided in regulated center-based and family child care settings. We do not offer any specific definition, but leave it up to each State or Territory to define for themselves what Family, Friend and Neighbor care consists of.
NITCCI Resources
Tool Kit
- Supporting Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: A Strategic Planning Approach (2009)
This tool kit assists States and Territories with strategic planning to systematically support Family, Friend and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers. The strategic planning tool kit provides a comprehensive and collaborative process in three phases: data collection and analysis, strategic planning meetings, and a final report and action plan that will include both short- and long-term objectives to better support FFN caregivers to provide quality care. (See the Early Care and Education Systems Building Resources page for a general approach to planning).
Webinars
- Finding, Engaging and Supporting Family, Friend and Neighbor Caregivers: Promising Approaches - 12/2/08
States and communities are challenged to find effective methods of outreach and appropriate support for family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care in order to contribute to the healthy development of the young children in their care. This webinar will feature three presenters whose work is contributing to the development of promising approaches.
(December 2008)
Read more here.
View and listen to the webinar, click here.
View the Agenda here.
Webinar Handouts/Powerpoint Slides
- Family, Friend and Neighbor Care: An Opportunity. Ruth Mayden, MSS, LSW, Director of Programs for Families with Young Children at the Annie E. Casey Foundation 138 KB
- Finding, Engaging and Supporting FFN Child Care. Doug Powell, PhD, Author, Who’s Watching the Babies? Improving the Quality of Family, Friend and Neighbor Care 109 KB
- Getting to Where the Children Are: Supporting Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care Providers through Training. Eva Marie Shivers, PhD, Director of the Institute for Child Development Research & Social Change at the Indigo Cultural Center 774 KB
- Family, Friend and Neighbor Care
This webinar outlined a state-level strategic planning process to ensure the quality of Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) care. This process was developed in response to State technical assistance requests by the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative, with support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and was piloted in two states, Maine and Minnesota. The webinar also included perspectives from Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Administrators & their staff on their work to improve support for FFN care.
(October 2008)
Read More here.
View and listen to the webinar, click here.
Webinar Resources and Handouts
- A Strategic Plan for Maine
This report is a summary of the planning process surrounding the state’s strategic plan for supporting Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care. - Minnesota Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care Strategic Planning Initiative
This report is a brief history of the Minnesota Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care Strategic Planning Initiative. - Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Strategic Planning Tool Kit (2008 version)
The materials and process suggestions included in this tool kit are intended to help assist States & Territories to engage in a strategic planning process to support quality child care for infants and toddlers in family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) settings. The process is modeled on the early care and education system model (eco-model) and planning process used by the National Infant & Toddler Child Care Initiative. The process is designed to maximize involvement of planning committee members and other stakeholders while minimizing face-to-face meeting requirements.
Related Resources
- Alliance for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care
http://www.bnkst.edu/naffncc/
The National Alliance for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care (NAFFNCC) is a work group of individuals and organizations that share a common interest in family, friend, and neighbor child care. It consists of a diverse group of practitioners, researchers, and policy makers who are at the forefront of work in this field. NAFFNCC aims to:- Influence policies for family friend and neighbor care;
- Enhance caregivers' access to services;
- Increase awareness of the role that family, friend and neighbor child care plays in the child care.
- The Institute for a Child Care Continuum
http://www.bnkst.edu/ICCC/
The Institute for a Child Care Continuum at Bank Street College of Education supports quality care for children across the child care continuum through:
- Policy research and program evaluation
- Program development
- Staff training and technical assistance
- Assessing Initiatives for Family, Friend and Neighbor Child Care: An Overview of Models and Evaluations.
(Research-to-Policy Connections Brief No. 5).
www.childcareresearch.org/SendPdf?resourceId=11787 - Strategies for Supporting Quality in Kith and Kin Child Care: Findings from the Early Head Start Enhanced Home Visiting Pilot Evaluation is available at
www.mathematica-mpr.com/publications/PDFs/kithkinquality.pdf - Family, Friend and Neighbor Care: Strengthening a Critical Resource to Help Young Children Succeed (2006), by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, is the 17th annual KIDS COUNT essay and examines FFN care as a critical component in the continuum of child care options used by millions of families, especially low-income families. The essay includes an overview of the role and use of FFN care, the reasons families choose this type of care, the need for and challenges to improving quality, and State and
local strategies for quality improvement. This resource is available on the Web at
http://www.aecf.org/upload/publicationfiles/2006_databook_essay.pdf - Understanding Family, Friend and Neighbor Care in Washington State: Developing Appropriate Training and Support. Brandon, R. N., Maher, E., Joesch, J., Battelle, J. M., & Doyle, S. (2002). Seattle, WA: University of Washington.
http://hspc.org/publications/pdf/FFN_report_2002.pdf - The Child Care Assessment Tool for Relatives (CCAT-R) Institute for Child Care Continuum 2004, Bankstreet College of Education
http://www.bankstreet.edu/gems/ICCC/Description.pdf - Family, Friends and Neighbors Caring for Children Through the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program: A Survey of Caregivers and Parents. Chase, R.A. (2006). Department of Human Services. St.Paul, MN: Wilder Research Center
http://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Legacy/DHS-4517-ENG