Committed to Care: Family Childcare Providers’ Relationships and Responses to Children’s Emotion

One in five young children in the United States are enrolled in family child care (FCC) settings for on average over 30 hours per week (Child Trends, 2016). Given the ubiquity of this care arrangement, it is notable how little research has focused on these providers (Morrissey & Banghart, 2007; Porter, Paulsell, et al., 2010). Much of prior research and policy around FCCs focuses on compliance with regulation and structural quality features (e.g., adequate health and safety measures, outdoor play space, etc.; Morrissey & Banghart, 2007) or on improving program quality (Porter, Nichols, et al., 2010). Missing from the literature is research regarding provider characteristics and how it is associated with the quality of relationships with families and children and quality in the responses to children’s emotion. With data from a national survey of FCCPs (N=888), the present study aims to describe groups of FCCP to create targeted initiatives to support needs of professionals who provide critical early interventions in the lives of children. Four clusters were identified based on professional commitment and professional engagement with demonstrated significant differences in quality in relationships and responses to children’s emotion. Findings from the current study support the calls to increase investment in and access to professional development to address the various needs of FCCP.