Family Child Care Providers Find Success and Community through Cohort Model

Home-based, or family child care providers — many of whom are sole-proprietor entrepreneurs who operate child care businesses out of their home — historically have not had access to grant funding, despite the critical role these businesses play for many working parents. When the opportunity to apply for funding did arise through the 2023-24 City of Providence Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program, these child care providers got more than they bargained for.  

Expanding or improving child care space is a complicated process of navigating nuanced building regulations as well as specific child care licensing requirements and best practices that are unique to child care spaces. Even large scale child care providers look for specialized technical assistance (TA) to help maximize the impact of a construction project. Each year, the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund (RICCELFF) team provides more than 2,000 hours of TA to providers to help facilitate construction, expansion, and design recommendations that not only meet existing qualifications but create a high-quality space that is conducive to learning.  

An example of a fence that did not meet health and safety recommendations. The fence was replaced through this grant program.

“The RICCELFF supports equitable access to high-quality child care through a three-pronged approach: providing training, offering TA, and administering funding. This is the framework we use to manage all our grant programs,” said Erin Cox, AIA and Senior Program Officer at LISC. Cox explained that when the team worked with family child care (FCC) providers in 2020 when federal COVID relief funds were available for the first time to sole proprietors, they “received a significant number of TA requests for more basic questions about grant programs and access to funds, like how to apply, how to understand a contract, how to engage and hire a contractor — All things before actually getting to the project itself. It quickly became evident that additional support to FCCs was going to be necessary.”  

Drawing on lessons from their past work with FCCs, the LISC team designed a curriculum and organized monthly cohort meetings for FCCs to deliver structured TA and professional development presentations, while encouraging community support and relationship-building among the grantees. The City of Providence Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program funding was awarded to 36 licensed child care providers, including 27 licensed FCCs, for capital improvements that addressed the health and safety of child care spaces. The FCC awardees were invited to participate in this new, expanded technical assistance and training model that addressed frequent questions and challenges in a collaborative, community-driven format. 

The cohort meetings were held in the evening to accommodate providers’ schedules since they cared for children during the day, and were conducted in both English and Spanish. Sessions were led by Kayla Arruda, Program Assistant and a former child care provider, and Claudia Rodríguez Arrieta, Assistant Program Officer and a native Spanish speaker with a background in economic development.  

Monami Carrasco of Camila's Home Day Care poses in front of her newly-renovated outdoor space, along with Nelson Sierra and Wilhelm of Legacy Builders.

“The main goal was to create an environment where the child care providers could flourish,” said Arruda. “Having a native Spanish speaker checking on the progress, and ensuring the grant requirements and expectations were clearly understood, was the technical assistance these family child care providers needed to be successful." 

Several initial training sessions were held to ensure the basic questions were answered and the cohort was working together from a strong foundation of understanding. Topics were covered to guide providers through the complex nature of grant agreements, compliance requirements, and site visits. To ensure efficient and sustainable use of funds, the facilitators held discussions on Contractor Procurement and Maintenance. Because the grant program was funded through the Providence City budget and the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which involved a significant federal compliance responsibility and verification of expenditures, the group was led through expectations and regulations related to compliance. The training session topics ranged from addressing immediate questions about the grant to discussions about sustaining a child care business into the future. 

“Kayla and Claudia really focused on building a community with the FCC providers through this cohort training and technical assistance model. Building relationships with providers is a key component to successfully operating unique grant programs like the Early Learning Infrastructure Support program.” said Cox.  Since the beginning of this program in 2023, Arruda and Rodríguez Arrieta have provided more than 500 hours of TA just to FCC grantees, and more than 1600 hours of TA have been provided to all participants in the City of Providence program.  

In addition, other outside agencies were invited to deliver further professional development sessions to support the providers as small business owners. The Center for Women and Enterprise helped FCCs strengthen their business practices, the Center for Early Learning Professionals helped them develop Individual Professional Development Plans, and the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children, which manages the BrightStars and LearnERS Programs, helped them increase their understanding of the quality rating system and how to increase their facilities’ BrightStars ratings. The Center for Early Learning Professionals approved these cohort meetings as professional development hours, allowing FCC providers to accrue up to 12 of the continuing education hours necessary for maintaining their license. 

An example of a bilingual presentation slide from a cohort meeting, used to clarify the requirements of the grant and compliance.

In many cases, the funding supported updates to and replacement of perimeter fencing after a requirement was updated in the licensing regulations by the Department of Human Services (DHS). Outdoor play significantly contributes to the physical health, cognitive and social development, and overall well-being of children by providing opportunities for active movement, exploration, creativity, and social interaction, while promoting a connection with nature and reducing stress levels. 

Hilda Ortiz, owner of Ortiz Home Daycare, spoke about the impact that a safe, secure outdoor space has had for the children in her care. “My backyard didn’t meet the new DHS requirements [before this project, but] now the children have a safe and healthy space where they can have gross and fine motor development. I am very pleased, and so are the parents who have told me how happy they are seeing their children in a better environment and coming back home telling them how much fun they had and how much they play in their new area.”   

The improved outdoor play space at Ortiz Home Daycare.

These cohort meetings, along with additional one-on-one support, was integral to the success of the providers’ projects, which had measurable impacts on the quality of providers’ space. BrightStars ratings are based on a complex rubric, but the funding and TA offered to FCCs as part of this program encouraged several providers to seek higher ratings. Three providers have already improved their ratings and earned additional stars since beginning the cohort meetings. 

“LISC has been the impetus and motivation for me to want to increase my [BrightStars rating] because with their help I am able to have my high-quality, safe, spacious, and welcoming child care space,” said Monami Carrasco, owner of Camila’s Home Day Care. “They motivated me to continue advancing as an early childhood educator, they have always been available when I needed them and have given me the information that I needed to continue to improve my space. 

“I knew and understood that the space in which children are cared for greatly influences them and the educator when it comes to providing quality service, but I didn’t really know how truly big that impact was until this project was done.” 

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