STEPS to Family Child Care Success: A Unique Professional Development Program

STEPS is a comprehensive professional development training program designed to increase immigrant and refugee family child care (FCC) providers’ skills related to operating a successful business. Services are provided by trusted ethnic community-based organizations(ECBOs) and cultural navigators who share providers’ cultural and linguistic heritage. Research and evaluation data collected since 2019 by the CEED consistently indicate that public investments in the STEPS model—especially for immigrant, refugee, and historically disadvantaged communities—strengthens child care quality and accessibility in these communities.