Chapter 2 Determining the Need for Child Care
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Unfortunately, many caregivers are not aware of requirements in their states. They
may operate without licensing or registration. They may, therefore, be unaware of any
training opportunities that might be available. Frequently, they have very little educa-
tion with no specific training in child care. This situation gives little help or protection
to a family who is looking for child care. This contributes to the wide range of quality
that is characteristic of family child care.
Some child care agencies administer a network of family child care homes. The
agency helps the provider take care of paperwork, recruitment of children, and often
links the provider with training opportunities and government food reimbursement
programs. Large child care programs sometimes place young children in family child
care homes and place older children in center care. Administrators are responsible for
recruiting family child care providers and monitoring the quality of care in their
homes. Because the homes may be spread out, supervision can be difficult. Finding
providers who are skilled enough to be trusted when working independently with a
small group of children can also be difficult. In addition to maintaining quality care
sites, administrators must provide backup if the provider is ill or unavailable. They
must also be skilled in maintaining necessary records.
Group Homes
Group homes also typically are established in a private home setting. While regu-
lations vary from state to state, group homes usually are permitted to enroll more
children than a family child care home. Additional adults must be present in the
home at all times. Licensing for a group home is often not as stringent as the licensing
for a center. Group homes are frequently found in areas where there are not enough
2-7 This family child care home cares for six children of mixed ages.