Childcare Landscape Study - Flipbook - Page 111
Davidson County Child Care Landscape Study Results
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compensated workforce. Reaching this balance requires a clear understanding of what
providing high-quality child care actually costs programs.
The Role of Home-Based Child Care in Greater Davidson County
Although home-based child care comprises a small portion of the overall licensed child care
landscape in greater Davidson County, the few home-based programs in the region play an
important role. Home-based child care offers flexibility, affordability, and cultural
alignment with the children and families they serve.5 Many families with infants and
toddlers prefer home-based child care options because they provide a more intimate and
flexible environment.6 Home-based programs offer small group sizes, consistent caregiverchild relationships, and flexible hours, supporting both healthy child development and
parental employment.7
Greater Davidson County is home to 29 licensed home-based child care programs, accounting
for approximately 1 percent of all available child care slots in the region. In contrast, the vast
majority of formal child care in greater Davidson County is found within the region’s 246
center-based child care programs, in which a provider cares for more than 15 children,
typically in a more school-like setting.
Home-based child care is usually provided in a residential setting. Tennessee child care
regulations divide home-based child care into two categories: family home-based programs
and group home-based programs. Family home-based programs serve up to seven children,
whereas group home-based programs serve at least eight and up to 15 children. Depending on
the number of children enrolled and the ages of the children, home-based programs may have
just one educator, who is usually also the small business owner and program director, or the
program may employ one or more additional educators.
As Small, Local Businesses, Home-Based Programs Face Revenue Constraints
Home-based child care directors, similar to their center-based counterparts, face unique
challenges to running their business compared to other industries. Home-based program
directors are constrained in the tuition prices they can charge by what families are able to pay,
which often prevents prices from reflecting the full cost of providing high-quality child care
with a well-compensated workforce.
As a result, child care programs often cannot significantly raise tuition to respond to higher
operating costs, raise staff wages, or ensure their own pay is sufficient, without potentially
pricing the families they serve out of the market. These constraints can make it difficult for
some home-based programs to stay in business, and may limit the number of new homebased child care programs seeking to enter the market.
Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center 2026
www.pn3policy.org
