Strategies for Learning Experiences in Family Child Care: American and Swedish Perspectives

The outlook for teaching and learning in the homes of family child care (also called "day care" and "child minding" [the latter term is used in the United Kingdom]) is both promising and precarious. The authors believe such programs hold potential for high-quality learning, yet they suffer from lack of recognition and support. Originally, family child care in many countries was little more than impromptu care, equivalent in form and function to surrogate mothering. As such, learning experiences in such circumstances were more a byproduct of a parenting style of care. More recently, family child care has emerged as a viable educational program in its own right, serving children from birth through primary grades. In "Family Day Care: International Perspectives on Policy, Practice and Quality," Mooney and Statham (2003) compared family child care providers' viewpoints and the policies that govern their services in 10 countries. Such a global response indicates not only the extent to which families count on this service and a growing recognition of its contribution to educare, but also the imperative to examine this program's influence on young children's learning. Given the need for exemplary educare in family child care homes and ongoing dialogue on the nature of early childhood pedagogy in the United States, Sweden, and other countries, the authors offer several key considerations. First, they address the context of family child care and the meaning of "pedagogy." Next, they explain ways to use genuine, rich, and respectful curriculum practices that will enhance this particular type of program for young children. They then explain and interpret family child care through the lens of four principles, with specific case examples for Sweden and the United States. The examples were aggregated, a blended collection of vignettes shared with the authors through work-related contacts or family child care informal acquaintances. (Contains 1 note.)