The New School’s Center for New York City Affairs, in coordination with ECE on the Move, All Our Kin, WHEDco and the New York City Child Care Resource & Referral (CCR&R) Consortium is conducting research to demonstrate the need for better pay for Family Child Care providers and educators. The goal of this research is to inform policy changes to benefit Family Child Care providers like you, who need and deserve better pay, benefits, and working conditions as small business owners and, in some cases, employers. This a historic survey – the first to systematically collect detailed information about operating costs and revenue of Family Child Care providers. Our hope is that by collecting this personal data from you, we will be able to provide evidence to increase voucher and NYC contract payments for Family Child Care providers.
This is a participatory action research project, meaning that we are inviting Family Child Care providers to participate in this research project. It has 2 stages:
Stage 1: Family, Group Family and Legally Exempt Family Child Care providers located in NYC will be invited to fill out a survey about their working conditions. You will be paid $350 for completing the survey. If you complete the survey, you will be invited again to participate in Stage 2:
Stage 2: Providers will be invited to participate in a focus group discussion, where our researchers will share the findings of the survey project and get your feedback on policy changes that can improve your job quality and opportunity. You will be paid $150 for participating in the focus group discussion.
To participate:
Our team:
Lennox Dietz - Project Manager: dietzl@newschool.edu
Alexandra Madge - Research Assistant: madga581@newschool.edu
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Answers
Questions
To be eligible to complete the survey, you need to comply with these requirements:
Be a FDC, GFDC or legally exempt child care provider in operation in 2023
Operate your business in NYC (Staten Island, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan)
Who is eligible to take the survey?
The survey will ask you about operating your business, such as expenses, time availability, other forms of labor; revenue, vouchers and other forms of aid; problems you might have encountered while running your business; services you would like available; etc.
What will the survey ask about?
There are 64 questions in the survey for Family and Group Family Child Care providers and 44 questions for Legally Exempt providers. The survey can be completed in 45-60 minutes if you have all your tax information at hand or have compiled it in our supplemental survey worksheet. You have until August 31, 2024 to complete the survey. You can start and come back later. Download the Supplemental Worksheet here.
How long is the survey and how long do I have to finish it?
We require you to give us your name, phone and email so we can contact you to verify your survey is complete and to process your payment. Some questions ask about your race/ethnicity, prior education and other demographic information that is important for our analysis but are optional.
Does the survey ask for personal information?
We value your privacy, and we are committed to protecting it. Once the survey is complete, we will remove your personal information (name, email and phone) and it will not be connected to your answers. Once the study is complete, we will destroy all information.
How will my privacy be protected?
Once the survey is complete, you will be contacted either by The New School or All Our Kin (AOK) to fill out a W9 and get the necessary information to mail you a check. Once you provide us with a W9, you should receive your check in 7-10 business days.
What does the payment process involve?