Title: What is Family Child Care? Your Guide to Home-based Early Education
Headings: What Is family child care?
What Is family child care?
How family child care works
Why so many names?
The benefits of family child care
Is family child care right for me?
Choosing the best care for your child

Content: In this post, we will demystify family child care once and for all. We’ll take a look at what it is and what the benefits are so you can make the right decision for your family. How family child care works
A family child care program is a form of early childhood education in which a caregiver looks after children in their own home, often with the help of an assistant. A family child care program is typically licensed for between 6 and 12 children, although these numbers do vary by state and by type of child care license. Because of these small, intimate environments, you will see many opportunities for 1:1 interactions between the provider and each child, mixed age groups, and the opportunity for continuity of care (where a child stays with the same caregiver over a long period of time). Licensing requirements for caregiver qualifications vary from state to state. You won’t typically see a particular type of curriculum dictated by a state licensing agency, but you will see family child care programs programs based on different philosophies. You can find family child care built around the philosophies of Montessori, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia, forest school, and others. Each state has its own definition of when a program needs to attain a child care license versus when a program can operate as license-exempt. A licensed program will have to meet particular requirements and pass an inspection process to be sure their home is safe for children.