What is Family Child Care?
What is Family Child Care?
Hillsborough County Licensing definition is "A Family Child Care Home is a residence, occupied by the owner of the Family Child Care Business, in which child care is provided on a regular basis for unrelated children for which a payment, fee or grant is received for any of the children in care. If the owner of the Family Child Care Business does not own their occupied residence, they must receive written permission from their landlord/realty company to do a Family Child Care Business at their rental address before they can be licensed."
The words "family child care" and "family day care" and "day care home" and "family child care provider" are all used pretty much interchangeably.
Why a Licensed Provider?
This is a common question asked by parents; the main reason for choosing a Licensed family child care home is to protect the children. In Hillsborough County ALL persons providing care for unrelated children in their home for a fee MUST be licensed.
Hillsborough County Child Care License Department is in charge of all family child care homes, they do unscheduled inspections on each provider during operating hours. As a licensed provider, he or she is required to maintain minimum standards including; current CPR and first aid certificates, 10 hours of training per year, yearly fire inspections and monthly fire drills.
Some benefits of a family child care home
Developmentally Appropriate - The world around us is filled with people of all ages, in a family child care group helps the child learn to get along with both younger and older children.
Provider Stability - One provider is a consistent for your child all day long. In large family child care homes, two providers are there to care for the children.
Experience Different Roles - Children have a chance to be in different roles in family child care. They will most likely have the opportunity to be the older child, the middle child and the youngest child in a group. In each role a child will be able to learn and teach in different ways. This is especially true if in their home life a child is an only child.
Self Esteem and Leadership - An older child in a family child care group may have the opportunity to lead or teach the younger children. As the child begins to "read" he or she may "read" a book to a younger child. Or by playing in block play, the older child will model or teach stacking blocks to a younger child.
Small Group Size - In Hillsborough County the following Ratios are in place to ensure group size.
Family Child Care Home
A maximum of four children from birth to 12 months of age.
OR
A maximum of six children, if no more than three are birth to 12 months.
OR
A maximum of 10 children, if no more than five are preschool age and, of those five, no more than two are under 12 months of age.