Staffed Family
Child Care Network Implementation Guide
BACKGROUND
Staffed family child care networks (SFCCNs) are a ‘promising practice’ to address concerns about the quality, supply, and sustainability of home-based care. The process of starting a SFCCN can seem daunting. The purpose of this guide is to provide potential stakeholders with a roadmap to planning and launching a SFCCN.
GETTING STARTED: OVERVIEW
UNDERSTAND
FCC PROVIDER NEEDS
The first step is to understand the key and common issues in the local ECE community. While communities often cite too-low subsidy and/or private tuition rates as the key source of problems, the reality for FCC providers is often more complicated.
IDENTIFY A NETWORK HUB(s)
No matter which services providers document as most important for the Network to deliver, a successful SFCCN needs one or more organizations that can provide those services. Organizations thinking of becoming a Hub should do some self-assessment to determine the degree of fit.
DETERMINE HUB SERVICES
AND METRICS
Opportunities Exchange has created a framework to help define SFCCNs that includes three tiers—each with BOTH pedagogical and business services, but in varying levels of intensity.
IDENTIFY A TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION
SFCCNs that seek to improve the financial position of FCC providers will need to offer business leadership that reduces the cost of operations and improves revenue for their members.
The following resources are available to support your work in this area:
CCMS: Frequently Asked Questions | Spanish
Child Care Management Software: What you Need to Know
Selecting a CCMS for FCC Network (Excel Download)
IDENTIFY AND RECRUIT FCC PROVIDER MEMBERS
Participants: Many factors and characteristics contribute to the likelihood of a provider experiencing success through membership in a SFCCN. The singular most important factor, however, is a provider’s interest in, and willingness and ability to change.
DEVELOP A BUDGET AND STAFFING PLAN
The graphic below illustrates how to approach staffing to keep costs low and maximize efficiencies.
PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER: THE BUSINESS PLAN
Once you have answered the questions outlined in this document, you have created the elements needed for a Business Plan.
In addition to the components discussed, the business plan should include the following elements:
● Governance Structure, including:
● Implementation Timeline
Additional Resources
Policy Drives Practice: Building the Roadmap for Staffed Family Child Care Networks
By Louise Stoney | February, 2021
Staffed Family Child Care Networks Can Navigate A New World Order
By Louise Stoney | March 2020
“When we were preparing to launch our Family Child Care Network, we reached out to OppEx. The team helped us at each critical juncture along the way including developing our Theory of Change, service model, unit cost and sustainability plan. With OppEx on board, we were able to achieve our goals more quickly and think more critically about our strategy.”
—Shannon Cotsoradis, President & CEO, Nebraska Early Childhood Collaborative