Introduction
Research Questions
- What do we currently know about quality in HBCC, and what are the gaps in the knowledge base?
- How does the HBCC Supply and Quality project conceptualize quality in HBCC?
- What features of quality are more commonly found or are implemented differently in HBCC compared with other CCEE settings?
Millions of families with children from birth through age 12 rely on home-based child care (HBCC). HBCC, meaning noncustodial care for children in the provider’s own home or the child’s home, is the most common form of nonparental child care for infants and toddlers. It is especially prevalent in communities of color, communities with high concentrations of people from immigrant backgrounds, areas of concentrated poverty, and rural communities.
Yet the research literature on child care and early education (CCEE) quality primarily focuses on center-based settings. Little is known about the features of quality that may be more characteristic of HBCC. Some features might be implemented differently (such as supporting development across mixed-age groups of children) or occur more commonly in HBCC than in other CCEE settings (such as care offered during evenings, early mornings, and weekends).
This brief focuses on these features of quality that are more characteristic of HBCC. Understanding these features might help highlight the strengths, resources, and resilience of HBCC providers that research, program development, and policy commonly overlook.
Purpose
This brief was developed as part of the HBCC Supply and Quality project, funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families. This brief can help policymakers, CCEE program administrators, staff working with HBCC providers in state systems and community initiatives, and researchers to understand key features of HBCC quality—and how those features might contribute to child and family outcomes.
Key Findings and Highlights
- What do we currently know about quality in HBCC, and what are the gaps in the knowledge base? Research on HBCC lags behind research on center-based CCEE settings, such as private and community-based child care, Head Start, and prekindergarten. And within HBCC, more research is focused on regulated family child care settings than on family, friend, or neighbor settings. Limited research exists on (1) how providers define quality in HBCC and how they implement these features; (2) how implementation of quality features may vary across HBCC settings; and (3) how quality features relate to child and family outcomes.
- How does the HBCC Supply and Quality project conceptualize quality in HBCC? The project’s conceptual framework of HBCC quality highlights the potential strengths of HBCC. It describes quality features and groups them into four broad components: (1) safe and healthy home environment that fosters development, learning, and equity; (2) culturally and linguistically grounded provider— child interactions that nurture children’s self-identity and healthy development; (3) family supports and supportive provider—family relationships that promote family well-being; and (4) healthy working conditions and resources for sustaining HBCC. The conceptual framework suggests that the characteristics and experiences of the provider, the HBCC setting, the strengths and needs of families and children in care, and the local community are all potential influences on quality.
- What features of quality are more commonly found or are implemented differently in HBCC compared with other CCEE settings? These features are categorized into four quality components and include the following:
- Safe and healthy environment in the provider’s home: predictable routines, opportunities for informal learning; and opportunities for interactions with community and community resources.
- Culturally and linguistically grounded provider—child interactions: support for children’s positive peer interactions and pro-social skills, including mixed-age peer interactions; proactive behavior management and promotion of anti-bullying; support for positive racial, ethnic, and self-identity; engagement in language interactions with children and support for language, including support for children’s first language and/or bilingualism.
- Family supports and supportive provider—family relationships: cultural responsiveness to and connectedness with families; and flexible schedules and logistical supports within clearly communicated boundaries (including help with non-child-care tasks)
Methods
The brief is based on the HBCCSQ project’s literature review and conceptual framework. The literature review documents the types of evidence and types of HBCC settings described in the publications reviewed, along with evidence of the mechanisms that link features of quality to provider, child, and family outcomes.
Recommendations
By focusing on the features of quality unique to HBCC, policymakers, CCEE program administrators, and staff working with HBCC providers (for example, in state systems and community initiatives) can design policies and initiatives that are tailored to and have the potential to support HBCC. These efforts will require a deeper understanding of the ways in which providers implement these features; quality improvement strategies that build on their experiences, interests, and strengths; and the effects of these strategies on positive and equitable child and family outcomes.
Citation
Orland, Jaimie, Juliet Bromer, Patricia Del Grosso, Toni Porter, Marina Ragonese-Barnes, and Sally Atkins-Burnett (2022). Understanding Features of Quality in Home-Based Child Care That Are Often Overlooked in Research and Policy. OPRE Brief #2022-76. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, US. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- HBCC:
- Home-based child care refers to any noncustodial child care in the provider’s own home or the child’s home.
- CCEE:
- Child care and early education refers to all settings that offer care and education to young children.