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. Originally funded in January 2020, the STEPS project is led by a partnership of three ECBOs, Chicano Federation, Horn of Africa, and the International Rescue Committee, along with a team of researchers at CEED.
Evaluation data collected over the course of 6 years and 20 cohorts (+300 providers) consistently demonstrate the efficacy of the STEPS program and its approach to professional development. STEPS providers complete a 14-week training series while working toward business goals that strengthen their business practices and support providers in sustaining or increasing enrollment. Data 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.
Policy Briefs
Research Articles
Our research seeks to examine the lived experiences of FCC providers and describe strengths, barriers and challenges in order to increase understanding of the complex and dynamic nature of teaching and learning in diverse cultural communities. An additional goal is to use what we have learned from the STEPS program to inform replication efforts, scaling pathways, and policy change recommendations.
- “I help them see their potential”: The role of Cultural Navigators in Supporting the Professional Development of Immigrant and Refugee Family Childcare Providers (PDF)
- Examining the tensions between cultural models of care in family childcare and quality rating improvement systems (PDF)
- “We need to try to go higher”: An examination of Somali family child care providers' participation in a professional development program in the United States (PDF)
Evaluation Reports
Evaluation of the STEPS program
- STEPS Year 6 Evaluation - Chicano Federation February 2026 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 5 Evaluation - IRC (Arabic) December 2025 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 5 Evaluation - IRC (Dari) November 2025 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 5 Evaluation - Chicano Federation September 2025 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 4 Evaluation June 2024 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 3 Evaluation October 2023 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 2 Evaluation - Chicano Federation May 2023 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 2 Evaluation July 2022 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 1 Evaluation - Chicano Federation June 2022 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 1 Evaluation November 2020 (PDF)
Evaluation of the Shared Service Alliance (SSA)
In September of 2023, the County of San Diego funded the Shared Services Alliance (SSA), joining together the STEPS partners, Chicano Federation, Horn of Africa and IRC, and the YMCA Child Care Resource Service and Child Development Associates (CDA). Evaluation of this project was conducted by CEED and Luminary Evaluation. The program was established to support child care providers by helping them strengthen the sustainability of their businesses and promote growth. Many aspects of the STEPS model were embedded into the SSA.
- San Diego County Shared Services Alliance Evaluation (Year 2) July 2025 (PDF)
- San Diego County Shared Services Alliance Evaluation (Year 1) July 2024 (PDF)
Family Child Care Strength and Sustainability Index (FCC-SASI)
The Family Child Care Strength and Sustainability Index (FCC-SASI) was developed by the ECBO staff, cultural navigators, and the project evaluation team to capture and organize best business practices.
