Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Care is Quality Care

The Network's Policy and Research Department is excited to announce Season 2 of The Love Connection podcast, a 10-part series that challenges institutional narratives about the quality of FFN care through the stories of providers and the parents who rely on them. This project is made possible by a First5LA grant, which funds an ongoing multi-year FFN bias project. During the first year of this project, we conducted interviews and surveys with influential leaders, parents, and FFN providers, to uncover underlying anti-FFN biases which exist in narrative and resulting policies in early care and education.

Through interviews, we found that influential leaders showed a spectrum of beliefs towards FFN care. While many shared instances of witnessing biases in their work, others espoused the bias themselves, expressing how public dollars should not be spent on FFN care, for example.

On the other hand, both FFN providers and the parents who rely on them spoke of the importance and value that FFN care plays in their lives. For example, families overwhelmingly expressed that their FFN provider was their first-choice child care, and providers described having a close bond with the children in their care, engaging them in various developmentally appropriate and culturally and linguistic affirming activities.

Our first year insights have culminated in Season 2 of "The Love Connection" podcast and identifies common themes of love, safety, trust, communication, and cultural connection.

Listen to the podcast now on Spotify.

Read more about why we started this FFN Bias project here.

The Love Connection: Season 2

Produced by Stephanie Serrano with support from First5LA. Hosted by Menaka Mahajan and Natalie Rivera with support from Lily Stewart, Terah Hagy, Sarah Conway, Stephany Delaney, Linda Asato, Gemma DiMatteo, Keisha Nzewi, the R&R Network and staff.

A special thanks to the parents and providers who shared their stories. We see you and appreciate you.

Please review all rules and regulations for the California R&R Network's Podcast and Facebook Giveaway.

Terms & Conditions

  1. Eligibility: The California Child Care Resource & Referral Network’s (Network) Podcast and Facebook Giveaway is open to legal residents of California who are 18 years of age or older. This Giveaway is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The Network’s Employees, as well as members of an Employees immediate family and/or those living in the same household of Employees are ineligible to participate in the Podcast or Facebook Giveaway.

  2. Sponsorship. The sponsor is California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, located at 1 Polk Street Unit 201, San Francisco, CA 94102. The Sponsor will conduct the Podcast and Facebook Giveaway as described in these official rules.

  3. Entry Period: This promotion begins on September 17 at 9:00am, PT and ends on November 12 at 5:00pm, PT. To be eligible for the Podcast and Facebook Giveaway, entries must be received within the specified Entry Period.

  4. How to enter the Podcast Giveaway: Eligible entrants can enter the Podcast Giveaway by visiting https://open.spotify.com/show/3TXf54f0S6TtYpSTu1KXFd, rating, and writing a comment. Once your comment is submitted, please send an email to lstewart@rrnetwork.org to confirm participation with a screenshot.
    1. Or: Eligible entrants can enter the Facebook Giveaway by visiting https://www.facebook.com/CARRN... and tagging 2 or more friends under our Podcast Release posts.

      1. NOTE: Entrants cannot participate in multiple review-based giveaways but can participate in multiple Facebook Giveaways. Incomplete entries or those that do not adhere to the official rules or specifications will be disqualified at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Fraudulent methods of entry or circumvention of the rules may result in the Sponsor invalidating your entries and removing them from the podcast giveaway at the Sponsor’s sole discretion

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By participating in the Podcast or Facebook Giveaway, You, the Entrant, have affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of the Official Rules.

New! Read the Episode Show Notes Here

What's Next?

In our second year, we aim to uncover the institutionalization of bias against FFN care, and its marginalization within the formal child care system.

Why? The top-down bias toward FFN care is likely rooted in racism and white supremacy culture, and in order to dismantle this systemic bias, we need to identify the specific policies that institutionalize it.

How? Through focus groups with R&R agencies and interviews with child care advocates, we seek to understand why FFN care has been historically excluded from referral processes and policies, and gain insights regarding possible reforms to lift these barriers.

Year three would include movement building with child care advocates and policymakers to dismantle FFN bias through systems change.


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