Appendix K: Frequently asked questions

Appendix K

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions

Who can participate in the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study?

Individuals are eligible to participate in the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study if they are a home-based child care (HBCC) provider who regularly cares for at least one school-age child (age 5 and in kindergarten, or ages 6 through 12), meaning they care for the school-age child(ren) at least 10 hours per week. These providers may also care for under school-age children (ages birth through 5 and not yet in kindergarten). Providers must be at least 18 years old.

An HBCC provider is someone who regularly cares for children other than their own in a home. This includes being a licensed family child care (FCC) provider, or someone who cares for their family, friend, or neighbor’s (FFN) child(ren); for example, a relative like a grandma/grandpa or auntie/uncle, or a babysitter, or nanny.

Families of eligible HBCC providers may also participate in the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study if they have a school-age child in the provider’s care, are at least 18 years old, and are the person most responsible of the care of the school-age child when the child is not in the provider’s care (for example, the child’s parent or guardian).

What languages is the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit available in?

There is an English and Spanish version of the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit. The Spanish version has been carefully translated by staff at Mathematica and HBCC providers will try it out in the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study. There are no other planned languages for the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit at this time.

All providers who would like to participate in the pilot study should be comfortable completing the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit provider questionnaire in English or Spanish electronically (using a computer or smart phone), via a paper version, or over the phone with a trained interviewer in English or Spanish. All families who would like to participate in the pilot study should be comfortable completing the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit family questionnaire in English or Spanish via a paper version.

Why did the study team create the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit and ask providers and families try it out?

The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit was created specifically for home-based child care (HBCC) providers who regularly care for at least one school-age child (age 5 and in kindergarten, or ages 6 through 12), meaning they care for the school-age child(ren) at least 10 hours per week. These providers may also care for under school-age children (ages birth through 5 and not yet in kindergarten). Its primary purpose is to help HBCC providers who regularly care for at least one school-age child identify and reflect on their strengths and areas of growth related to their caregiving practices and how they partner with children’s families.

Most existing measures used in HBCC settings were originally made for child care providers and teachers that work in child care and early education centers. Also, many of the measures focus on children before they reach school age, or children across age groups.

Additionally, HBCC providers and staff who work with them would like low-cost and easy to use tools that are made for them. The study team is developing the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit with these points in mind. Providers can use the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit on their own or with another person (such as a mentor, coach, or peer).

As the study team designs the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit, it’s important to try it out with many HBCC providers and families whose children have a HBCC provider, so we are conducting the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study.

Why was the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit created for HBCC providers who work with at least one school-aged child?

National data shows that many HBCC providers take care of at least one school-aged child (age 5 and in kindergarten, or ages 6 through 12) and also care for children in multiple age groups (infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged). However, many measures used in HBCC are not made specifically for school-aged children or mixed-aged groups, so the study team created the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit to fill this gap.

Why should HBCC providers use the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit?

The goal of the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit is to help providers identify strengths and areas for growth in providing care for children and partnering with their families. HBCC providers can use the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit on their own to learn about how they support children in their care. For example, HBCC providers can identify practices that support incorporating school-aged children into daily activities, such as with younger children.

In addition, providers can identify their strengths, practices they want to do or do more of, and topics they want to learn more about. HBCC providers can also talk about the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit with someone else like a coach, mentor, or fellow HBCC provider. The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit does not include observations of the home and it is not meant to monitor or evaluate HBCC providers.

Why should families who receive care from HBCC providers use the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit?

The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit family questionnaire gives providers and families an opportunity to discuss culturally and age-appropriate interactions that can happen in the home-based child care setting. Providers may ask families to fill out the family questionnaire, or providers could use the questions in the family questionnaire to help guide conversations between families and providers about topics, such as the different types of interactions, routines, and opportunities families would like their child to have while in the provider’s care.

Where can I find more information about the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit and HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study?

Please see the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study flyer that was attached to your email from the study team.

The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study is part of the Home-Based Child Care Supply and Quality project. The project is funded by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation within the Administration for Children and Families at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You can find information about the Home-Based Child Care Supply and Quality project on the project’s website: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/home-based-child-care-supply-and-quality-2019-2024. There you can find the project’s published research on HBCC including why the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit is being developed.

You can also talk to a member of the study team to learn more about the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit and the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study. Please reach out to [STUDY PHONE NUMBER] or email [STUDY EMAIL] with any questions.

What happens to the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit after the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study?

After the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit Pilot Study, the study team will revise the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit based on pilot study results. Then, the study team will conduct a larger, validation study with hundreds of HBCC providers. The validation study will show whether the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit supports HBCC providers and how it compares to other available HBCC measures.

Why does the HBCC-NSAC Toolkit include questions about how providers support children’s racial and ethnic identities?

HBCC providers are important for supporting how school-age children understand their identities and how all children develop their own racial and ethnic identities. Young children often explore their racial and ethnic identities as they grow older and interact with others and the world. For some children, the time they spend in HBCC provides them with a place that they can feel safe and experience joy. For children who have negative experiences at school, HBCC can be a place where these children can experience healing.

The HBCC-NSAC Toolkit will help providers think about how their practices support positive racial and ethnic socialization (how children learn about race and ethnicity), which includes helping to build positive racial and ethnic identities and using practices that reflect different cultures and support children’s development. The provider questionnaire include questions about sharing positive messages, imagery, and stories about children’s racial and ethnic identities as well as other practices to help children learn and explore their curiosities about their own and other races, ethnicities, and cultures.

The referenced collection of information is voluntary. Information will be kept private. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The OMB control number for this collection is 0970-0355 and the expiration date is 8/31/2024.

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