Home-Based Complementary Health Practices Matter: Toward a Curriculum for Childcare Providers on Communication and Support

Purpose: This article presents evidence from surveys and ethnographic interviews addressing family home health care practices and communication between families and their childcare providers about such practices. Drawing on research supporting the value of family-centered care (FCC) and consistency of care (COC) in childcare, researchers sought to understand the nature of at-home health care and health-supportive behaviors and practices among our research participants (families with young children) and to assess the extent to which families are comfortable sharing the nature of these practices with their providers. Results: Our findings suggest that families seek out and use a variety of health-supportive behaviors at home that they do not necessarily share with childcare providers. Such practices include a focus on healthful foods (including alternative diets that may go against official recommendations) as well as other simple practices like regular exercise, yoga, or gardening. The article presents the research study and its findings and presents a recommendation to develop an educational curriculum designed to support families and increase both Family-centered care (FCC) and Consistency of care (COC) by encouraging better communication between families and providers. The curriculum will support an aim to educate childcare providers on the benefits of some of the most common integrative health care strategies and provide practical examples for integrating these practices in professional and family-home childcare settings.