Q: What are family child care associations and what can they do for providers and kids?

A: Family child care providers work "alone and isolated-we don't have a teacher's lunchroom!" says Nancy Wyatt, president of the San Fernando Valley Family Child Care Council. So they "really benefit from having a group where they can share successes, frustrations, and questions-and work together to make the system better," says Wendy Wayne, administrator for Kern County's child development services.

Support

Family child care providers work extremely long hours and "have limited interaction with adults to do problem-solving about things that come up during the day," says Malia Ramler, a program director at the Center for Health Training in Oakland. "[Associations] are a real asset because you have contact with other providers."

Associations also "go to bat" for members, says Rosie Kennedy, president of the San Francisco Family Child Care Association. For example, if a court won't excuse a provider from jury duty, the association sends a letter or makes a call, explaining "the obstacles in leaving a family child care home," Kennedy says. "If an agency receives a call from the association, it makes a big difference."

Guidance for new providers

Elda Fontenot, president of the Oakland Licensed Day Care Operators Association, says her association gives orientations to new providers "about types of situations that you face as a provider, what to look out for, and how to develop a curriculum." They even visit new providers' homes, offering advice and hand-me-down toys.

Professional development

"By belonging to an association, you learn about today's provider"-not a "babysitter," but a professional who "supports the child's development," says Fontenot. Associations often invite speakers or give workshops from training organizations (see resources) on topics such as health, curriculum, and child development as well as grant writing and running a business.

Tools for advocacy

"If we're not letting legislators know what our needs are, the problems aren't going to get solved," says Wyatt. Associations "strengthen the identity of the profession and create a collective voice on an advocacy level," says Diane Harkins, program director at the Center for Human Services at UC Davis.

"[Associations] can have a direct impact on policy," says Jackie Lowe, senior project coordinator at the Child Care Improvement Project (CCIP). For example, when state legislators were considering a bill requiring family child care providers to get permission from their landlords to run their businesses, association members waged a letter-writing campaign. They felt they played a role in defeating the legislation, Wyatt says.

At the local level, the San Francisco Family Child Care Association worked with other groups to push the city to create a program that provides stipends to child care providers who take child development courses. "We showed up, no matter when or where," at every meeting of the supervisors and human services department, says Kennedy. Another win was a county program providing $250,000 in subsidized medical benefits for uninsured and low-income child care providers.

"We have a lot of potential, and we have strength in numbers," says Donna Daly, president of the California Association for Family Child Care. 

Training for family child care providers

• Child Care Improvement Project
  (Contact through your local child care resource and referral agency)
  
  
• Center for Human Services, UC Davis
  Family Child Care At Its Best
  530-757-8643
  
  
• Center for Health Training
  Association Grants Program
  510-835-3700