The Business of Care: Strengthening Family Child Care as a Path to Wealth Building.

By Adam Jones, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center

March 28, 2025

Family child care (FCC) programs are a vital yet often overlooked part of Massachusetts’ early education system. These small, home-based providers play an essential role in serving many of the Commonwealth’s highest-need children and families. Yet the educators who run FCCs—mostly women of color—often earn some of the lowest wages in the field.

While much attention has been paid to improving program quality, this report, produced by MassBudget and commissioned by Boston Indicators as part of our Racial Wealth Equity Resource Center initiative, focuses on a different but equally urgent challenge: how to strengthen FCCs as small businesses. What would it take to support their growth, boost their financial resilience, and position them as platforms for building long-term wealth?