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Alabama has been selected as one of only four states nationwide to participate in a new initiative aimed at integrating family child care (FCC) educators into state-funded pre-K programs.
The Alabama Department of Early Childhood Education has joined the inaugural cohort of the Enriching Public Pre-K Through Inclusion of Family Child Care (EPIC FCC) initiative, facilitated by the National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER) in partnership with Home Grown. This initiative seeks to support state, city, county, and tribal government leaders in expanding the participation of family child care educators in their pre-K systems or engaging FCC educators in these pre-K systems for the first time.
The percentage of children in the U.S. enrolled in state-funded preschool programs reached an all-time high in the 2022-2023 school year, with 35 percent of 4-year-olds and 7 percent of 3-year-olds enrolled. However, despite these efforts to expand state-funded programs, many children still lack access to publicly funded preschool, and many lack access to a high-quality program.
“It is so important that public pre-K programs across the U.S. find a way to incorporate existing local child care providers, including home-based Family Child Care programs. Family Child Care educators bring critical experience and expertise to the table, have close bonds with the children and families that they serve, and often have high levels of education themselves,” said Erin Harmeyer, coordinator of the EPIC FCC initiative.
Millions of families rely on home-based care settings in the U.S., and more than 750,000 children are cared for in Family Child Care programs (home-based settings regulated or certified by the state). These programs are more likely to be in large urban areas with high concentrations of poverty and a higher percentage of children from minority and non-English speaking backgrounds.
Harmeyer said Alabama has been chosen to participate in the cohort because ti is one of the few states that has met 100 percent of NIEER standards for years.
“Alabama has continued year over year to meet all of the benchmarks, which shows its commitment to setting the conditions necessary for its Pre-K program to thrive,” Harmeyer said. “That’s a huge advantage over other states in that respect to offer high-quality education to children.”
For the past two years, Home Grown has invested in research and policy analysis to support the inclusion of family child care programs in state- and city-funded pre-K initiatives with both the National Institute of Early Education Research and the Pre-K In FCC Team, which includes the Erikson Institute, University of Delaware, and the Equity Action Research Coalition at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. This work led to the development of a framework that state and city leaders can implement to expand the participation of FCC educators in their pre-K programs.
Over the next several months, cohort members will participate in a peer learning community with fellow states and local government agencies on this framework, including topics such as program design and pre-k program standards, pre-k supports, equitable financing, and state/local public sector oversight and governance. Additionally, each member will receive technical assistance from the National Institute on Early Education Research and gain access to guidance documents and resources, including implementation plans, a compendium of programs, and toolkits. Cohort members will also be eligible for flexible planning grants of $25,000 to support implementation.
The EPIC FCC is made possible through generous funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Esther A. & Joseph Klingenstein Fund.
