For parents of young children, the decision of who takes care of their child is a deeply personal one. There are many reasons a parent might choose to rely on an informal child care provider. For example, they might work non-traditional hours or they feel more comfortable with a family member caring for their child or it could be a cultural preference.
At First Things First, Arizona’s early childhood agency, the idea of supporting families and caregivers with a variety of different needs is a priority.
That’s why the agency funds the Family, Friend and Neighbor Care Strategy, also known as FFN, to provide support to informal caregivers who are caring for a group of four or fewer children, birth to age 5, in a home setting. A recent evaluation of these programs found that caregivers reported significant improvement in key areas of caregiving, including interactions with the children in their care.
Across the nation, about 60% of children under age 5 are cared for by this type of informal caregiving. Many parents choose FFN care because these caregivers often know the children best and can provide a loving, familiar environment that helps them feel safe.
The FFN strategy seeks to improve a caregiver’s knowledge about quality learning environments, caregiver-child interactions and learning activities. In State Fiscal Year 2024, over 1,000 unregulated caregivers participated in FFN programs seeking to provide babies, toddlers and preschoolers with a quality early learning experience across nine FTF regions, with a total investment of $3.7 million.
A recent evaluation of an FFN program asked participants to answer pre and post-survey questions after they completed an educational series of classes, as well as after individual education sessions. Preliminary results show that caregivers reported significant improvement in knowledge of quality environments, child-caregiver interactions and providing learning activities for children in their care.
The evaluation, which ran from January to June 2024, was conducted in partnership with FTF grant partner Candelen and Lecroy and Milligan Associates, a consulting firm specializing in program evaluation.
Velma Gesimba, an FTF program strategy specialist for early learning programs, which includes FFN, said there are many benefits to family, friend and neighbor care.
“We all know that child care is expensive and a lot of families are struggling to pay for child care,” she said. “FFN can be an affordable option, but more importantly, it’s flexible.”
For a parent who works hours outside of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., they might be able to find a caregiver who is willing to provide care outside of typical workday hours. Also, an FFN provider might be more flexible with payment, Gesimba said.
“Some folks charge a regular fee, but sometimes parents and caregivers engage in a barter system or trading, where a caregiver will care for a child in exchange for groceries,” she said. “Or sometimes a caregiver can take care of a child one week and then the parent will take care of the caregiver’s child at a different time. It’s a community aspect of supporting one another.”
Another part of the FFN programs that FTF funds is to help caregivers socialize with one another to reduce caregiver isolation, Gesimba said.
“Sometimes a caregiver might be struggling with certain components of caregiving and they can ask another caregiver, ‘How do you handle these circumstances?’ or ‘What does this look like in your home? What have you found helpful?’” she said. “They can share resources, but sometimes the mental health aspect of just talking with someone who is doing what you’re doing is invaluable.”
A majority (89-92%) of FFN participants surveyed reported feeling supported and gaining information about community resources, according to preliminary research results.
Recently, at one group caregiver session that Gesimba attended, she watched as Spanish-speaking caregivers learned how to write a contract between the parents and caregiver.
“Even though this is informal caregiving, it is helpful for caregivers and parents to be on the same page about things like times for pick up and drop off,” she said. “Those business-like skills are important.”
The session also included how to have difficult conversations with parents.
“For example, if a child was struggling that day or if maybe there was a playground accident, learning how to communicate with parents is important,” Gesimba said. “Every aspect helps the caregiver provide improved care.”
FTF will continue to work with Lecroy and Milligan Associates to gather data about Family, Friend and Neighbor programs, including conducting more surveys and interviews with providers to learn what supports are key to improve provider knowledge and day-to-day practices with results expected in Spring of this year.
