Child Care by Kith and Kin
Supporting Family, Friends, and Neighbors Caring for Children

Most state and local policy efforts resulting from the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) focused on the adult recipients of cash assistance and their transition to employment. But two-thirds of recipients of cash assistance are not adults. The series Children and Welfare Reform explores what is needed to ensure that welfare reform helps and does not hurt children.

Traditional policy and program approaches for kith and kin caregivers tend to concern themselves with ensuring that those receiving public subsidies comply with sufficient regulations, receive correct payment rates, and be recruited to become formal child care providers. However, research indicates that some kith and kin caregivers do not see themselves as professionals and therefore at least some of these approaches may not be sufficient to strengthen such care. Few efforts are underway to reach out to kith and kin caregivers who are not interested in becoming family child care businesses, which may be a significant proportion of those caring for children. However, as part of our series on Children and Welfare Reform, NCCP has identified a number of new and emerging strategies to engage kith and kin child care providers and the families they serve.