Family Child Care Closure in Alabama during COVID-19

Family child care (FCC) is uniquely positioned to address challenges with insufficient early care and education supply and access in the United States. FCC programs were steadily declining before COVID-19, and many child care programs, both center- and home-based, were at risk of closure early in the pandemic. This study examined closure among Alabama FCC providers during COVID-19. Specifically, we examined the timing and predictors of FCC providers’ closure using discrete time-hazard modeling. We analyzed administrative data for the 788 FCC programs licensed in March 2020. Results have implications for mitigating FCC decline and identifying resources to support FCC providers’ continued operation.