Reports on the results of a community development partnership program to support low-income, home-based child care providers. The model brings together nontraditional partners – child care resource and referral agencies and community development corporations – to bolster networks of home-based providers through training and other resources and to improve child care environments through home repair or home purchases. The Enterprise Foundation identified program sites in low-income neighborhoods of Los Angeles; New York City; Syracuse (NY); Cleveland; Portland (OR); and Washington DC. Among the key lessons from these sites were that: (1) partners should be selected based on their capacity and commitment to meet program goals; (2) knowledge of the community, local child care availability, and housing issues is essential for successful recruitment of home-based providers; (3) child care providers educated in appropriate care and early childhood education improve the quality of care; (4) very-low-income providers may require extra subsidies to make them eligible for homeownership or repair loans; and (5) culturally and linguistically appropriate communications with program participants are essential. The model demonstrated that organizations in partnership were able to leverage their combined resources and expand their offerings, thereby increasing the quality and supply of child care in low-income communities.
