Researching & sharing knowledge to support home-based child care providers and families. The Center has three main aims: 1.)
The Center for Home-Based Child Care (HBCC) Research supports research on the broad spectrum of HBCC settings that includes licensed, license-exempt, and unlicensed family child care (FCC) and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers across the United States. Conducting rigorous research about the HBCC sector, 2.) Building research capacity which includes fostering research-practice partnerships and mentoring of emerging scholars, and 3.) Communicating research to a wide range of audiences.
05/08/2026
Happy Provider Appreciation Day to all child care providers! The care, dedication, and support that you give children and families every day is deeply valued and essential to the well-being of communities everywhere.
With recognition and gratitude,
The Center for Home-Based Child Care Research
05/07/2026
Join our Data and Research Roundtable!
Are you part of an organization that collects data or would like to collect data on the home-based child care (HBCC) sector? Do you want to grow your knowledge of HBCC research and evaluation and connect with peers doing similar work?
Join our Data and Research Roundtable sessions!
Our first session focuses on developing a theory of change for HBCC research and evaluation led by HBCC expert researcher Toni Porter. Participants will learn about each element of the process from the target population to implementation to short/long term outcomes. Participants will also think about their own data and research needs for applying the theory of change and get feedback from Center leadership and other participants.
This first session will be held on Thursday, May 21st at 2 pm ET/ 1 pm CT/12 pm MT/11 am PT.
https://bit.ly/4uneQSS - Registration is limited to 35 participants so sign up early!
Our next data roundtable will be held on June 11th and will focus on using available data when resources are limited. Stay tuned and visit the Events page on our website (https://hbccresearch.org/events/) for more information and dates for future roundtables!
Do you conduct evaluation or research that includes home-based child care (HBCC)? Are you looking for a survey, focus group, or interview protocol focused on HBCC? Check out our Repository of Research and Evaluation Protocols for Examining HBCC Supply, Availability, and Use! [link to website- https://hbccresearch.org/repository/].
The resources listed were shared by researchers and evaluators across the country who gave permission for these to be part of this repository. This is an ongoing collaborative effort and we continue to add protocols. If you have a research or evaluation protocol on HBCC that you would like to include, please reach out to us ([email protected])!
03/31/2026
Check out our latest research on new family child care providers’ (FCC) experiences participating in public child care and early education (CCEE) systems and programs. Findings from a 2025 survey conducted in collaboration with The National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) indicate that:
• The majority of new family child care (FCC) providers (84%) participate in at least one child care and early education (CCEE) system.
• Challenges vary by system or program. Providers most frequently reported overwhelming paperwork and financial challenges as part of getting started in licensing, certification, or registration systems; the process taking too much time for the subsidy system; and difficulties navigating the system—knowing where to find information and understanding what to do for getting started in QRIS.
• Supports matter. Providers reported clear, available, online information and opportunities to connect with knowledgeable staff as the most consistently valued supports across systems and programs, along with financial and peer support.
Find this report here (https://bit.ly/4clwkrx) along with other research from the Center on new HBCC provider experiences, family use of HBCC, and public policies and programs that support the HBCC sector.
03/25/2026
What are the experiences of families who use home-based child care (HBCC) and have a child with special needs?
Using the Stanford University RAPID EC database (2020-2025), findings from our latest data highlight suggest that among families who use HBCC, those who have a child with special needs report more economic and mental health challenges compared with those who do not have a child with special needs.
Link: https://bit.ly/4snFzhy
03/09/2026
The Center is planning a Data and Evaluation Roundtable focused on home-based child care research and evaluation! The Roundtable will serve as an ongoing professional learning community for local researchers, evaluators, and data analysts in support organizations (e.g., Child Care Resource and Referral agencies).
Please share your thoughts to help us plan the Roundtable by taking this short survey (less than 5 minutes). This questionnaire seeks to understand the data and evaluation capacity and needs of organizations that support home-based child care. Thank you in advance!
Link: https://erikson.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9AKZhLAnspbiXxI
02/02/2026
Come work with us! The Center is looking for a postdoctoral fellow with an interest in home-based child care research and evaluation. The fellow will have the opportunity to work on policy-relevant research studies and activities focused on home-based child care (HBCC) provider experiences, family use of HBCC, and public policies and programs.
To view the full listing and apply – see this link: https://careers.udel.edu/cw/en-us/job/502756/limited-term-researcher-college-of-education-and-human-development
This position will be housed at the University of Delaware, a core partner.
Please also share with those who you think may be interested!
01/27/2026
Do you conduct research or evaluation that includes home-based child care (HBCC)? Consider submitting a proposal for the research track at the annual NAFCC conference in Chicago, Illinois July 16-18. The Research Track invites proposals for workshops focused on applied practice and policy relevant research and evaluation that includes the HBCC sector. Proposals are due on February 6th! See below for more details:
2026 NAFCC National Annual Conference – Call for Speakers
Building Bridges, Raising Voices, Shaping Futures!
Where: Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago
When: July 16-18, 2026 (Pre-Conference: July 15, 2026)
Benefits: Primary presenters will receive a 50% discount on full conference registration
Deadline to Submit: Friday, February 6, 2026
Notification of Proposal Status: Friday, February 20, 2026
https://whova.com/call_for_speakers/8aUlHMKnhReFyJ-yVYK3BuuC-ZrJ0SPcPqKkopI8c8id6HWqBXLuk5vG9GC7hT16/
01/07/2026
Join us for a webinar on Thursday, January 15 at 1:00 pm ET/ 12:00 pm CT/ 10:00 am PT to learn about our newly released HBCC Research Essentials Toolkit.
Hear from researchers, providers, and those who support providers about the value of research that includes the HBCC sector.
Registration is limited to 300 participants.
Register here: https://erikson-edu.zoom.us/meeting/register/62xjyLHNRh6cNBszinTiDQ #/registration
12/18/2025
Check out the latest resources from the Center’s HBCC Research Essentials Toolkit! This Toolkit provides evidence-based tools and resources to inform the understanding of HBCC for researchers, evaluators, data analysts, policymakers and others. Please share these widely with your networks!
• Fact sheet that describes the strengths and benefits of HBCC
• Terminology guide that shares common HBCC terminology and definitions as well as the nuances of these terms across the sector
• Conceptual framework that describes the factors that influence HBCC supply, availability, and use by families.
• Considerations for HBCC research that describes aspects of HBCC that are distinct from other child care and early education (CCEE) settings
• Principles of HBCC research that shares principles focused on participatory research methods that engage HBCC providers as research and evaluation partners.
• Repository of research and evaluation protocols that shares measures focused on HBCC