Recommended Option for the Family Child Care Pilot of the Seattle Preschool Program
Prepared for the City of Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL) Advisory Committee in 2016
This report, finalized in March 2016, presents the Advisory Committee’s recommended approach for integrating Family Child Care (FCC) providers into Seattle’s Preschool Program (SPP). Originally approved by Seattle voters via Proposition 1B in November 2014, the SPP is a four-year pilot (2015–16 through 2018–19) funded by a $58 million levy and designed to expand high-quality, affordable preschool citywide.
To assess whether FCC providers could deliver SPP with comparable quality and cost-effectiveness to center-based providers, the City appointed an Advisory Committee that conducted research on existing FCC models, convened stakeholder consultations, and met across three sessions in late 2015 and early 2016. The Committee weighed the unique advantages of FCC, from its homelike environment, cultural and linguistic diversity, and continuity of care, to financial and logistical challenges such as enrollment stability, provider qualifications, billing complexity, and support needs.
The Committee recommended a networked approach (Option 3): FCC providers should form networks, anchored by a central hub organization that contracts with the Seattle Department of Education and Early Learning (DEEL). The hub would manage administrative and financial tasks (e.g., billing, subsidy management), while providing coaching, professional development, substitutes, and other critical supports. Within the network, individual FCC homes would retain autonomy and various models, such as full SPP-only enrollment, mixed-age programs, or hub-based classrooms, could be employed flexibly based on each provider’s capacity and preference.
To implement this model, the Committee outlined a set of next steps, including:
Conducting financial impact and budget planning for both FCC homes and the hub.
Identifying or establishing qualified hub organizations (existing organizations like Puget Sound Educational Service District, relevant associations, or educational institutions were suggested).
Engaging and recruiting a robust cohort of FCC providers.
Adjusting SPP’s enrollment and recruitment policies to better align with FCC business practices.
Expanding access to higher education and support services for FCC providers to ensure staffing meets SPP qualification requirements.