The Use of Family Engagement Principles by Childcare Providers From Various Childcare Settings: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT

Family engagement in childcare is important to ensure the optimal growth, development, and safety of children. Previous research has explored family engagement practices, but limited research is available on the application of theory to explain the uptake of family engagement principles. The purpose of this study was to explore the use and perceptions of the National Association of the Education for Young Children’s six principles of effective family engagement among childcare providers from various childcare settings following the Innovation-Decision Process of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory. A semi-structured interview with a card-sorting task was used to explore providers’ knowledge, adoption, and perceived difficulty of implementation as well as their perceived outcomes, reasoning for use or non-use, and advice on use of the family engagement principles. Notable findings suggest variance in childcare providers’ knowledge, adoption, and perceived difficulty of all six family engagement principles. Childcare providers mentioned various perceived outcomes and reasoning for use of principles, such as improved relationship with parents and enhanced child learning. Lack of time and perceived disinterest of parents were commonly reported difficulties for the use of family engagement principles. Future studies should expand upon the exploration of family engagement practices and comparison between different childcare settings and philosophies. Further efforts are needed to investigate effective integration and use of technology for communication.

KEYWORDS:

• Parent involvement
• daycare
• early childhood development
• Preschool
• Toddler

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the childcare providers who took time to participate in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Fund for Undergraduate Scholarly Excellence from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.

Notes on contributors

John P. Rech

John P. Rech is a Ph.D. student and research assistant in the School of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His work focuses on the promotion and development of physical activity and other health-related behaviors of children, particularly of early childhood and primary school age, and their caregivers.

K. Snyder

Kailey Snyder Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions at Creighton University. Her work focuses on maternal/child health with an emphasis on physical activity during the prenatal/postpartum period.

M. Rasmussen

Maggie Rasmussen holds a B.S. in public health and is currently a Master’s student in the same discipline in the School of Health & Kinesiology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she also serves as a graduate assistant.

D. Dev

Dipti Dev Ph.D. is an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Her research focuses on the area of child development and early childhood education.

D. Dinkel

Danae Dinkel Ph.D. is an associate professor in the School of Health and Kinesiology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Her research focuses on the promotion of physical activity and other health behaviors related to the prevention of childhood obesity, particularly during early childhood.