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Funded by a grant of more than $274,000 from the William Penn Foundation<\/a>, Quality Influential Professionals<\/a> (QIP), a child care network of more than 80 licensed home-based providers, is working to keep the doors open for families choosing home-based care in Philadelphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe quality of early childhood educational settings can significantly impact the academic and social-emotional development of children,\u201d says Jennifer Stavrakos, Interim Director of the Great Learning Program at the William Penn Foundation. \u201cThe experienced professionals in QIP will help home-based programs to simultaneously improve quality and address the sustainability issues that contribute to the loss of home-based childcare options in Philadelphia. This work will strengthen the ‘triple bottom line’\u2014improving outcomes for children, options for families, and stability for program providers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n QIP\u2019s powerhouse president, Diane Gardner, who has operated Aunt Di\u2019s Child Care Services for decades explains that the group uses a TRIAGE approach. \u201cTRIAGE means Teach, Restore, Influence, Advance, Gather, and Empower,\u201d says Gardner, who, along with Minnette Taylor and Adrienne Briggs, founded the network (under a different name) more than 20 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although QIP members often work 12 hour days to serve Philly families, vice-president Briggs notes they still make time for the group\u2019s monthly meetings where they can dialogue with guest experts on anything from environmentally friendly cleaning practices for child care homes to managing small business taxes. Trainings like these are a lifeline for early educators and business owners who want to keep up with best practices and excel as professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe other thing we do\u2014on the weekends, even at night\u2014is we coach our members. That\u2019s the Restore part,\u201d says Briggs. She and Gardener regularly get calls from providers who are at their wit\u2019s end and fear they will need to close their business, stranding children and parents with no other child care options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cProviders often feel isolated and unappreciated,\u201d says Gardner. \u201cNow they can call us or they can call each other, and we start with the question, How can I help? We offer information, but more importantly, we offer encouragement and validation, because this work is hard, and providers need to know that it\u2019s okay to seek help and also that as professionals they deserve support and a circle of colleagues to hold them up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n QIP has big plans for strengthening the network of providers in Philly. First, they are working with Home Grown to identify data-gathering strategies that will enable them to pinpoint how many home-based programs are in jeopardy of closing and what their priorities are for staying open. That data will support their efforts to more strategically break down barriers to licensure and success as a small business.They will also use the data in their work to inform legislators, stakeholders, and community leaders about the needs and contributions of home-based providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n