Almost 5.5 million young children with working mothers spend more time in family child care (FCC) than any other form of care in the U.S. FCC providers play a critical role in child development for infants and toddlers. Yet, research on FCC is lacking, particularly on providers, despite the national child care crisis. To fill this gap, my dissertation is the first in-depth study of providers' role in FCC on the individual, local, and state level in Wisconsin. I argue that since providers care for young children, the future of society, a universal care system that supports providers as professionals can have transformative effects on society as a whole. My dissertation builds on my year-long field study of Denmark's universal child care system. There, I identified numerous factors that Wisconsin could adopt to improve its FCC's quality, equity, and accessibility. I utilize this research with years of facilitating interviews, workshops, and seminars with providers, as well as my first-hand experience as a provider. To argue that FCC is a profession with its own pedagogy and practice, I compare the policies, practices, organization, and theories of my experience as a FCC provider in Wisconsin and Denmark using an autoethnographic lens along with ethnographic interviews. With my connections to child advocacy and policy organizations, my research is intended to improve the care that families receive and ensure that the providers receive care as well. This research is the foundation of a more just and equitable FCC system in Wisconsin. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]