“We need to try to go higher”: An examination of Somali Family Child Care providers’ participation in a professional development program in the United States

Abstract

The research presented in this article uses a community resilience framework to examine the lived experiences of Somali refugee Family Child Care providers in the United States who participated in the Steps to Family Child Care Success Program (STEPS), a year-long professional development program embedded in an ethnic community based organization (ECBO). Our research informs international efforts to design and implement professional development programs that meet the unique needs of home-based providers. Interview and focus group data identified challenges providers encountered when operating a FCC business that were related to language barriers, learning how business is conducted in the United States, and navigating FCC systems and regulations. At the same time, data illuminated many ways in which providers drew upon their community identity, their STEPS cohort, and the ethnic community based organization that operated the program to access the resources, knowledge, and support needed to be successful. Reflecting the construct of community resilience, findings indicate that providers experienced tensions between different ways of being in Somalia and the United States as well as identified processes, resources, and supports that allow providers to overcome challenges. Our research provides an example to those in the field of ECEC of a professional development model that is responsive to the strengths of communities of color.