Home > Systemwide > Service Array > Early Childhood and Child Care Services > Child Care Services

Child Care Services

The following resources link families and service providers to organizations that supply information on types of child care and how to find quality child care. Research and reports also are provided that discuss child care services and policies.

Child Care Aware National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies Offers child care providers resources to use in their programs and helps families locate quality child care programs in their communities. ChildCare.gov Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Informs parents, providers, researchers, and policymakers about relevant child care issues such as abuse and neglect, child development, choosing and paying for child care, operating a child care business, and more. National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center Provides comprehensive child care information resources to key stakeholders in States, Territories, and Tribes; early care and school-age professionals; and the general public.

Almost Like Family: Family Child Care (PDF - 412 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2009)
Examines how home-based early care and education professionals can build protective factors with the families and children they serve.

Designing Subsidy Systems to Meet the Needs of Families: An Overview of Policy Research Findings
Adams, Snyder, & Banghart (2008)
Synthesizes research on the range of policy strategies States are implementing to support eligible families in accessing and retaining child care subsidies.

Grandma and Grandpa Taking Care of the Kids: Patterns of Involvement (PDF - 288 KB)
Guzman (2004)
Uses data from two national surveys to examine what type and how much child care is provided by grandparents and to consider some of the financial benefits for the families involved.

Improving Access to Child Care and Early Education for Immigrant Families: A State Policy Checklist (PDF - 47 KB)
Center for Law and Social Policy (2007)
Recommends policies regarding collaboration among child care programs and immigrant-serving organizations, increasing the supply and improving the quality of child care in immigrant neighborhoods, developing guidance on immigrant eligibility for public programs, using cultural mediators and promoting cultural competency, and more.

Office of Head Start
Administration for Children and Families
Funds agencies that offer Head Start and Early Head Start programs, which provide comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a focus on school readiness and parent involvement.

State Child Care Assistance Policies 2009: Most States Hold the Line, but Some Lose Ground in Hard Times (PDF - 409 KB)
Schulman & Blank (2009)
Examines States' policies on income limits and eligibility for child care assistance as well as parent co-payments and provider reimbursement rates.

Strengthening Families Self-Assessment for Family Child Care Providers (PDF - 236 KB)
Center for the Study of Social Policy (2009)
Assists family child care providers to identify and improve practices to build protective factors in their work with children and families.

Summary of Child Care and Development Fund Policies for Children in Protective Services
National Child Care Information and Technical Assistance Center (2008)
View Abstract and Document
Summarizes State child care eligibility requirements for children involved with the child welfare system and lists a range of representative State policies on the subject.

The Use of Relative Care While Parents Work (PDF - 419 KB)
Snyder & Adelman (2004)
Examines the use of relative care, characteristics of its setting, and how often it is relied on as the only child care arrangement instead of one of a combination of arrangements.

	Related Information Gateway Topics Systemwide: Service array - Respite care services

Updated on March 1, 2010