The Caring for Quality Project is a joint effort of the Rochester Childfirst Network Family Child Care Satellites of Greater Rochester, Family Resource Centers of Crestwood Children’s Center, and the Cornell Early Childhood Program. The aim of this project is to support and connect both registered (licensed) and informal (license-exempt) family child care providers through home visits and networking meetings in order to increase the quality of care provided to young children.
Home Visits:
Home visits take place twice a month for nine months to one year. Content is based on the Parents as Teachers Curriculum for family child care providers and the Family Development Credential. Home visits are provided by expert staff from the Rochester Childfirst Network Family Child Care Satellites of Greater Rochester and the Family Resource Centers of Crestwood Children’s Center
Network Meetings:
Network meetings, facilitated by the home visitors, occur once a month with small groups of no more than 7 family child care providers. Content, location, and time are determined largely based on the needs and requests of the providers themselves.
The Cornell Early Childhood Program is evaluating the effectiveness of the Caring for Quality Project. Providers who qualify for the program are randomly assigned to either the full program group (home visits and network meetings) or the control group (1 home visit). A variety of methods and pre- and post-measures are employed to assess project outcomes including: Quality of the family child care home; provider characteristics such as licensed vs. license-exempt status, utilization of food programs and other services, job satisfaction, perceived social support, child rearing beliefs, and child development knowledge; child cognitive and social development.
Outreach:
Findings from the evaluation will be shared through multiple channels. Click here for more information about the project and preliminary first year evaluation findings. Check back soon for updated findings from the project. For more information about Caring for Quality, please contact Lisa McCabe.
