Support Programs for Home-Based Child Care: A Global Study

Home-based child care (HBCC) is a lifeline for millions of families worldwide, offering affordable, culturally relevant, and accessible early childhood care. Yet, providers—often women—face systemic undervaluation, low pay, and limited training. This global study by Spring Impact and Echidna Giving examines 11 innovative HBCC support programs across diverse contexts, revealing common features such as ongoing coaching, peer networks, business skills training, quality improvement, and advocacy. It highlights challenges like sustainable funding, political will, and quality measurement, while offering recommendations for scaling impact—such as embedding programs into public systems, strengthening financing, and building global learning communities. The report is a call to action for policymakers, funders, and practitioners to invest in HBCC as a pathway to better child development, women’s economic empowerment, and resilient communities.