Parent-Childcare Provider Partnerships: Exploring Beliefs About Overlap

This study examined the beliefs held by parents and childcare providers regarding continuity between home and childcare environments. The study was divided into two parts. Part one investigated the question of what overlap areas do parents and providers believe to be important. Data was collected using questionnaires. Part two of the study consisted of in-depth structured interviews with a sub-sample. Part two of the study explored the second research question of how are overlap beliefs related to parent-provider relationship and childcare experiences. Eighty-two parents and twenty-four providers participated in part one of the study. Six parents and six providers participated in part two. Participants were recruited from six childcare centers. Results indicate that parents and providers beliefs about continuity between home and childcare are related to various factors such as paternal education, number of hours mother works outside the home, and child characteristics. The interviews revealed three major themes in parents' beliefs: parents' beliefs regarding the appropriate overlap between the home and daycare environments, the influence of the program on the family, and the families' influence on care through involvement activities. This report discusses these three main themes, their implications for program development, childcare professional training and future research.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Human and Community Development

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Baumgartner, Jennifer

Contributors dc:contributor

• McBride, Brent A.

• Education, Early Childhood

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI3160862

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/87181