Parent Perspectives on the Dynamics of Abuse, Neglect, and Quality in Early Childhood Education/Care Systems

Background and Purpose:

Children in poverty who access high quality early childhood education gain significantly higher scores on academic measures as young adults, attain more years of education, and are less likely to experience unplanned teenage pregnancies compared to those who did not attend. Education during these early years can provide a 6-13% return on investment to society. Despite the promises, many children in poverty have limited access nor attend early childhood centers even when costs are subsidized. The consequences are severe, with large proportions of children in poverty arriving to Kindergarten already behind their peers academically, socially, and emotionally. These gap wisden as they age through the education system. This community-based, qualitative study examines the system structures that influence parent/caregiver decisions to enroll children in early childhood education centers.

Methods

Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews (n = 53) and two focus groups (n = 18) were conducted with 71 parents/caregivers of children, ages 0-5, using snow-ball sampling and community outreach. The research team recruited on foot in neighborhoods characterized by concentrated poverty to find participants in the most disconnected neighborhoods, parks, and areas of the city. Interviews and focus group insights were recorded, transcribed, and coded using a grounded theory approach. Themes were then translated into a system dynamics model for a policy working group to test potential interventions on how to sustainably increase the number of children in early childhood care while respecting parent perceptions of trauma and abuse and cultural considerations noted by parents.

Results

Parents and caregivers take numerous precautions in either choosing a care provider or deciding against putting their children in a center. Themes that emerged included 1) perceptions of child abuse/neglect in the early childhood system, partly exacerbated by social media; 2) the use of word of mouth to identify high quality centers through informal networks; 3) the desire for better teacher training and qualifications; 4) the quality of food in the centers; and 5) the need for language assistance for caregivers where english is not their first language.

Conclusion/Implications

There are typical known barriers to early childhood education, namely convenience and cost. While these variables are important to consider when examining barriers to care in early childhood, this study provided texture for parent and caregiver experiences of considering, entering and leaving the ECE system that included a less tangible variable influencing enrollment: caregiver trust. A majority of participants in this study indicated that safety and warmth was the utmost concern for their kids. Due to the perceived lack of these qualities in centers, many did not have strong confidence in the care options available to them, leading to them not enrolling  kids and therefore influencing the amount of dollars available to centers for improvements. A system dynamics model demonstrates that the systems inertia is influenced and can be changed by enhancing teacher quality and resources for ongoing early childhood quality support. Implications for policy and practice combined with a sensitivity to what activities should come first are discussed.