AUTHORS: Marisa Schlieber and Juliet Bromer
September 2025
HBCC Research EssentialsToolkit: Research Principles
This resource shares principles for conducting research and evaluation of home-based child care (HBCC) that is focused on participatory research methods that engage HBCC providers as research and evaluation partners. This guide is intended for researchers and evaluators working with the full range of HBCC, including licensed, license-exempt, and unlicensed settings and family child care (FCC) and family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) providers. Engaging providers offers an opportunity to design studies that reflect the needs of providers, describe the nuances of the HBCC sector, and build trust with providers who may be more likely to participate in the research if they are seen as partners. It also offers an opportunity for researchers to learn with and from providers to develop policy-relevant research that may inform efforts to build supply and improve stability of the sector.