2022 Edition

Early Childhood Education (CA-ECE) 12: Oversight of Family Child Care Homes

The organization provides oversight and support to family child care homes to ensure care is being provided in a safe environment that promotes healthy child development.
NA The organization does not utilize family child care homes to expand its capacity to provide care.

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VIEW THE STANDARDS

Purpose

Early Childhood Education facilitates appropriate child development and ensures the health and safety of children in care.

Note: This standard is intended only to review the oversight and support provided to family child care homes by a child care facility that utilizes family child care homes to expand its capacity to provide care. Completion of these standards by a child care center will not result in accreditation of the individual homes and cannot speak to the quality of the care being provided within them.

1
All elements or requirements outlined in the standard are evident in practice, as indicated by full implementation of the practices outlined in the Practice Standards.
2
Practices are basically sound but there is room for improvement, as noted in the ratings for the Practice Standards; e.g.,
  • Minor inconsistencies and not yet fully developed practices are noted; however, these do not significantly impact service quality; or
  • Procedures need strengthening; or
  • With few exceptions, procedures are understood by staff and are being used; or
  • For the most part, established timeframes are met; or
  • Proper documentation is the norm and any issues with individual staff members are being addressed through performance evaluations and training; or
  • Active client participation occurs to a considerable extent.
3
Practice requires significant improvement, as noted in the ratings for the Practice Standards. Service quality or program functioning may be compromised; e.g.,
  • Procedures and/or case record documentation need significant strengthening; or
  • Procedures are not well-understood or used appropriately; or
  • Timeframes are often missed; or
  • Several client records are missing important information; or
  • Client participation is inconsistent. 
4
Implementation of the standard is minimal or there is no evidence of implementation at all, as noted in the ratings for the Practice Standards; e.g.,
  • No written procedures, or procedures are clearly inadequate or not being used; or 
  • Documentation is routinely incomplete and/or missing.      
Self-Study EvidenceOn-Site EvidenceOn-Site Activities
  • Family child care recruitment procedures
  • Screening criteria for family child care homes
  • Matching procedures for family child care homes
  • Job description for family child care coordinator role
  • Documentation of monthly home visits for the previous six months
  • Curricula of any training offered to family child care personnel
  • Documentation of licensure for family child care homes
  • Documentation of caregiver credentials and completed training hours for family child care providers
  • List of current family child care homes withratios noted (e.g. Family Child Care Homes Reporting Tool)
  • Interviews may include:
    1. Program director
    2. Relevant personnel
  • Review personnel record for Family Child Care Coordinator
 

CA-ECE 12.01

Family child care coordinators are qualified by:
  1. an appropriate credential;
  2. an associate’s degree in early childhood education or child development; or
  3. a bachelor’s degree in a related field with two years of post-graduate experience in early childhood education.

Examples: Related fields include elementary education, special education, psychology, family consumer sciences, home economics, social work, and social services.
 

CA-ECE 12.02

Family child care coordinators:
  1. recruit and assess family child care homes prior to their use;
  2. provide support and supervision through a monthly home visit;
  3. offer training and professional development opportunities; and
  4. monitor the quality of care being provided.
 

CA-ECE 12.03

The organization utilizes family child care homes staffed by individuals with:
  1. a GED or high school diploma;
  2. at least 45 hours of family child care-related training within the last three years; and
  3. access to ongoing training and education.
 
Fundamental Practice

CA-ECE 12.04

Prior to use, all family child care homes are screened to ensure they are fully licensed or approved, according to applicable regulatory requirements.
 

CA-ECE 12.05

The needs of the child and family are matched with a care provider to ensure suitable, family-based care.
 
Fundamental Practice

CA-ECE 12.06

The organization is aware of available spaces at each child care home and only refers families when it is determined that the resulting teacher-child ratios:
  1. will not exceed COA’s Recommended Teacher-Child Ratios and Group Sizes;
  2. take into consideration changes in supervision needs based on activities being conducted; and
  3. take into consideration the needs of the children in the group.

Examples: Lower ratios may be warranted based on the special physical, social, or developmental needs of children within the group, the risks associated with a particular activity, and the qualifications and competencies of the teachers to ensure that children’s needs are being met.