What are in-home or family, friend and neighbor caregivers?
These are caregivers that are relatives of the children in their care, or care for the children of only one family other than their own. In California, these providers do not need to be licensed, which is why they’re also referred to as license-exempt providers.
Caregiver Activities
Music and Play Time! Learn about Healthy Habits through bilingual songs and fun activities with Mariela’s Music Time brought to you by California Child Care Resource and Referral Network.
Playgroups and Family, Friend & Neighbors
License-exempt caregivers (also referred to as in-home, informal, or family, friend and neighbor caregivers) are an essential component of the child care landscape. In previous partnership with BrightSpark Early Learning Services, formerly known as Child Care Resources in Washington, we successfully piloted their evidence-informed program Kaleidoscope Play & Learn (KPL) in California0
Through weekly play groups coordinated by local resource and referral agencies, children engaged in activities with their peers while family, friend, and neighbor caregivers learned about:
- Engaging activities to nurture children's learning at home
- Transforming daily routines, like grocery shopping, cooking, and bath time, into exciting early learning opportunities
- Exploring child development from birth to age five
- Uncovering the essential skills children are expected to develop by kindergarten
- Array of community programs and services designed to assist in raising healthy children
To learn more about the outcomes of the KPL playgroup pilot please review:
Playgroups and Resource & Referral in California