The CDA Prep Guide by Debra Pierce

Author:Debra Pierce [Pierce, Debra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781605543437
Publisher: Redleaf Press

Turn to chapter 7 to prepare for the CDA exam and to chapter 8 to read about the verification visit.

6

The CDA Process: Family Child Care

Family child care comes in many forms, from a provider working on her own to a group of providers operating an organized agency of in-home programs. A person who chooses to provide family child care can specialize in part-time or full-time care, twenty-four-hour care, infant care, or care for mixed ages. Often, family child care providers decide on this type of care because they want to stay at home with their own children or they want the flexibility of providing the type of care they prefer. They sometimes have an assistant or two, depending on the number of children in their care.

Family child care is usually more informal and flexible than center-based programs, and it provides a setting similar to what children would experience in their own homes. Also, family child care typically serves smaller groups of children, so more opportunity exists for individualized care and interaction. All in all, family child care comes in as many forms as there are family child care providers.

The typical family child care provider cares for a multiage group, with children between the ages of birth and five years, although she may care for school-age children for part of the day, as well.

This type of care can be very challenging. The care provider must divide her time among many tasks and roles. She will cook, play, clean, teach, and socialize. She will need special skills and knowledge about the development of children at different ages to provide appropriate activities and care and to meet their individual needs. In addition, she will need skills in running her home business, including marketing and record keeping. A family child care program is often funded solely by the payments made to the provider by the parents, but many times there is additional funding from federal, state, or county programs or agencies in the form of subsidies, which requires yet additional bookkeeping and management skills.

In spite of the challenges and demands of the work, family child care is also very rewarding for those who choose to do it. These providers have the opportunity to form warm, loving relationships with young children, who often remain in the program for a number of years prior to going to school and may even continue on an after-school basis thereafter. Family child care providers have the satisfaction of operating their own programs in their own homes, many of whom are also caring for their own children at the same time.

The Child Development Associate (CDA) Competency Standards were developed to evaluate family child care programs for quality and competent care. The Competency Standards outline the specific skills providers should have to meet the needs of the children, whether they are infants, toddlers, or preschoolers. The Standards do not expect family child care programs to be set up or run like child care centers. They recognize the unique nature of family

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