Free Resources for Families and Future Providers
Whether you are searching for child care for your family or considering opening a licensed family child care home, free local resources are available to help you get started.
Access to affordable, high-quality child care continues to be one of the greatest needs facing Goleta families. According to the 2024 Santa Barbara County Child Care Facilities Needs Assessment, the county faces a shortage of more than 9,300 licensed child care spaces for children ages 0 to 5, making it difficult for many working families to find care that meets their needs. The City of Goleta has made expanding local child care opportunities a priority through partnerships and investments that strengthen the community’s child care network.
What Is Family Child Care?
Family child care is licensed child care provided in a caregiver’s home. These smaller, home-based providers offer children a safe, welcoming environment where they can learn, play, and grow. Licensed family child care providers meet California’s health and safety requirements, complete background checks, participate in ongoing training, and are monitored by the state to ensure they meet licensing standards.
For many families, home-based child care offers a flexible and personalized alternative to larger child care centers. Family child care homes often serve children of mixed ages, allowing siblings to stay together while younger children learn alongside older peers in a close-knit environment.
Home-based child care can be an excellent option for families because it often provides:
- Smaller group sizes and more individualized attention
- Flexible scheduling, including early morning, evening, or non-traditional work hours
- A comfortable, home-like environment that can help children feel secure and build lasting relationships with their caregiver
- Opportunities for children of different ages to learn and socialize together
Finding child care can feel overwhelming, but families do not have to navigate the process alone. Every family’s child care needs are different, and Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County (CRR) helps parents and caregivers explore the options available to find the setting that best fits their child’s needs and their family’s schedule. CRR also provides guidance on what to look for when choosing a child care provider and questions to ask during the selection process. These free services are available to any family seeking child care.
Build a Career While Supporting Local Families
For individuals who enjoy working with children, becoming a licensed family child care provider offers an opportunity to turn that passion into a meaningful career while making a lasting impact in the community.
Operating a licensed family child care home allows providers to run their own small business, set their own schedule within licensing requirements, and create an educational environment that reflects their values and teaching style. Home-based providers play an essential role in supporting working families, especially those with infants and toddlers, those who need flexible hours, and those seeking a smaller, relationship-based care setting.
The City of Goleta is partnering with Children’s Resource & Referral (CRR) to encourage more residents to explore family child care as both a rewarding profession and an opportunity to help address the community’s growing need for licensed child care.
Through CRR, aspiring providers receive support every step of the way, including:
- Guidance through California’s licensing process
- Personalized coaching and technical assistance
- Training in child development, health, and safety
- Business planning and entrepreneurship support
- Pre-licensing home walkthroughs
- Ongoing professional development opportunities
These services are designed to help new providers confidently launch and operate successful family child care homes while creating much-needed spaces for local children. Once licensed, new providers have the opportunity to participate in an eight-week Quality Business Cohort, a collaborative effort with Women’s Economic Ventures, where they gain valuable entrepreneurial skills. Participants also receive training in the Environmental Rating Scale, a tool designed to elevate the quality of care and programming within family child care homes. Upon successfully completing the cohort in 2026, each provider will be awarded $2,500 in high-quality materials and furnishings tailored to their specific needs and assessment results.
Expanding family child care homes is one of the most effective ways to increase local child care capacity, giving families more choices while supporting working parents and strengthening Goleta’s workforce and economy.
For parents seeking child care referrals or individuals interested in becoming a licensed home-based child care provider, contact Children’s Resource & Referral of Santa Barbara County at (805) 925-7071, visit crrsbc.org/child-care-referrals for child care referrals, or visit crrsbc.org to learn more about becoming a provider.