NH Created Family Child Care Resources Launched

The team at CDFA just released several tools and resources developed for family child care providers on an accessible website. These resources are intended to deliver value to family child care providers, and those delivering services to them, in the long term. 

Guide to Becoming a Family Child Care Provider
Family child care programs provide essential support to families and play a vital role in New Hampshire communities. The New Hampshire Guide to Becoming a Family Child Care Provider is a resource for those at all stages of small business ownership. The guide is broken down into three phases: explorative, preparation and sustainability. Within each phase there are subcategories that outline various resources, information, checklists and links to further guide you through the process. Development of the guide was a collaboration between the New Hampshire Child Care Advisory Council and Andylex Youth Enrichment Company.
 
Family Child Care Provider Resource Library
The small business resource library was created to provide tools that family child care providers and coaches can use to rapidly build business resiliency now and in the future. The resource library covers a range of topics critical to operating a sustainable family child care small business in key areas including starting a small business, business operations, managing business finances, tax preparation strategies, as well as growth and sustainability. Resources are available in Spanish and English and use a workbook-style approach to allow self- or coach-supported implementation.
 
Also available online:

• Small Business Pathways for Family Child Care Providers is a resource designed to guide individuals through the pathways to establishing and maintaining a sustainable Family Child Care business, including Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) care. Download the English Framework // Download the Spanish Framework
  
  
• Business Health Assessment is an intuitive and user-friendly assessment tool for family child care providers to conduct a thorough self-assessment of their business operations, identifying strengths and areas for improvement. Using this tool, small business owners and business coaches will have a common way to identify and prioritize resources on the greatest opportunities to build resiliency. An instructional video, available in English and Spanish, is also available to guide business coaches and providers in how to use the tool.

Statewide Zoning Study on Home-based Care Regulations
The NH Zoning Atlas team, led by the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College, undertook an analysis that included collecting all of the zoning regulations that govern home-based child care in every community across the state. The study underscores the numerous challenges that home-based providers face, such as rising housing costs, resistance from landlords, and complex regulatory and licensing requirements. The key findings provide New Hampshire’s home-based child care community, community leaders, and policy-makers an understanding of the impact of recent legislation on our communities, as well as what can be done with zoning to facilitate home-based childcare.