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. Evaluation data collected over the course of 4 years and 14 cohorts consistently demonstrate the efficacy of the STEPS program and its approach to professional development.
Over two hundred STEPS providers have completed the 14-week training series, created a business plan, and increased or sustained their enrollment. Importantly, STEPS providers feel confident in their ability to continue to strengthen their business practices and provide quality child care services to their community. 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 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 July 2022 (PDF)
- STEPS Year 1 Evaluation November 2020 (PDF)
Evaluation of the Shared Service Alliance (SSA)
In September of 2023, the San Diego YMCA,in partnership with a group of local organizations that serve child care providers, was awarded the San Diego County Shared Services Alliance (SSA) contract. These organizations included: Chicano Federation (CF), Child Development Associates (CDA), Horn of Africa (HOA), and International Rescue Committee (IRC). 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, and 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)
Child Care Strength and Sustainability Index (CCSSI)
The Child Care Strength and Sustainability Index (CCSSI) was developed by the ECBO staff, cultural navigators, and the project evaluation team to capture and organize best business practices.
