If you missed our Cohorts Information Session, watch it below!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why should we invest in learning about All Our Kin’s network model?

The Network Development Cohort is an opportunity to learn about and apply best practices from All Our Kin’s proven outcomes-based approach. Our model is based on more than 20 years of experience running family child care networks. It is supported and informed by research, grounded in our experiences with family child care educators and centers their voices in the process. Our model builds supply, transforms quality, creates pathways out of poverty and generates significant returns on investments.

What will we gain from participating in the cohort?

Through participation in the Network Development Cohort participants will:

1. Increase their level of readiness to launch/expand a staffed family child care network

2. Complete core infrastructure “deliverables” which correspond with All Our Kin’s critical components for networks and sum up to a network plan

3. Adopt best practices that align with AOK’s critical components

4. Engage and learn from a network community of stakeholders committed to FCC

5. Enhance the ways in which they center family child care educators’ voices in the planning and implementation of the network

What will teams in the Cohort do?

During full Cohort Meetings, teams will explore All Our Kin’s (AOK) network model. Teams will learn what AOK does, why and how we do it. Teams will hear and learn from AOK’s technical assistance team, network site staff and family child care educators in our networks. Teams will receive proprietary templates and examples from AOK. And there will be opportunities for information sharing, peer learning, and collaboration allowing participants to benefit from engaging in their work alongside fellow cohort participants.

During Individual Team Meetings, teams will receive tailored technical assistance and consultation to support their network planning/implementation. Using reflective practice and action plans, teams will apply what they learn from AOK and others to their own network strategies.

Who should be included in my Cohort team?

Teams should include people who are in positions to influence and/or implement a family child care network, e.g., state or territory child care administrators and staff, and leaders from Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, nonprofit organizations, child care unions, Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, shared services alliances, family child care educators, etc.

We strongly recommend family child care educator representation on each team and encourage befitting compensation for their participation as well as accessible conditions, e.g., covering the cost of substitutes, technology, or transportation as needed to support their participation.

Team members should have:

• Passion for supporting, elevating,and engaging family child care educators

• Strong interest in the values-based, holistic approach conveyed in All Our Kin’s Family Child Care Network Framework

• Commitment to equity

• Dedicated time to participate (3 - 4 hours per month plus pre/post-work)

How should my team pay the $15,000 participation fee?

There are many different ways your team might fund the participation fee. Teams should identify a source of funding that makes sense for them. We encourage teams to consider different funding sources including philanthropy or organization funders, state funds, or federal funds. Payment arrangements will be shared with teams upon acceptance into the cohort.

What is the time commitment for being in the Cohort?

The full Cohort will meet 9 times, once a month, October 2021 - June 2022. The Cohort launch meeting in October will be 3 hours long. The rest of the Cohort Meetings will be 2 hours long. Individual Team Meetings will be offered monthly November 2021 - May 2022. Individual meetings will be 1-hour long.

Beyond the Cohort and Individual Team Meetings, there will be pre and post meeting fieldwork. The fieldwork is meant to be aligned with work that you and your team members seek to do or are already doing to plan or implement a network, e.g., working on your network's logic model, staffing plan, budget, or programming line-up.

What are the responsibilities of the Team Lead?

The Team Lead will serve as the main point of contact for the team and will be responsible for coordinating with All Our Kin to schedule and plan Individual Team Meetings. The Team Lead might spend 30 minutes - 1 hour each month (in addition to time commitment described in question 6) supporting meeting coordination and preparation alongside All Our Kin’s team.

How are we expected to compensate family child care educator team members? Do you have a suggested range? Compensation for a family child care educator team member might look different for every team. One way to determine compensation for a family child care educator team member is to translate an approximation of other team members’ salaries into an hourly rate and use that figure to compensate the educator for the time she/he spends in Cohort meetings and supporting work in between meetings. Make sure that the administrative process for receiving the compensation does not pose an undue burden on the educator.

Who can I contact if I have more questions?

Email technicalassistance@allourkin.org. You'll hear from Alison Wunder Stahl, Director of Partnerships or Jennifer Drake, Network Development Strategist promptly, usually within one business day.