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The AFCCA evolved from the Alliance for Family Child Care Providers of Massachusetts. The Alliance was started by a group of FCC providers in Medway, Massachusetts. They had a vision to create a Statewide Association for FCC that would improve the image and quality of FCC. The Alliance held the first Family Child Care Conference in Massachusetts. They provided training, advocacy, a newsletter and an email list.
In 1999, their vision was continued when a group of discouraged FCC providers began to meet with the Boston Representative of the Alliance. And then in 2001, the American Family Child Care Association (AFCCA) was formed and began fighting for the rights of Family Child Care and improving work conditions. We began advocating, organizing and rallying FCC Providers who felt isolated and powerless when faced with the challenges and inequities that exist in the Early Education and Care field. In 2004, the Association incorporated and the Board members who are all FCC Providers, felt strongly about incorporating as a Cooperative Association. Providers wanted to ensure that all profits would be re-invested back into FCC to improve FCC. The ICA Group states that, ‘Cooperatives are a form of business ownership where the workers in a for-profit enterprise directly own and control the business on a democratic basis of ‘One Person, One Vote’.