Pia DiPaola

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Pia DiPaola

• Learning through Quality Day Care Centers

Wells CollegePsy 360L Qualitative Research
Methods11-18-06
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RESEARCH QUESTION

• What aspects of a day care facility make it
  quality care?

• I am interested in this topic because there are
  varying levels of care provided to children and I
  wonder if that care influences these children
  later in life.
• The purpose is to distinguish between the
  different aspects of quality.
• If different aspects of care can provide
  different levels of growth in cognitive and
  social development we can raise the amount of
  care given to children in all day care centers.
• We need to change the quality of care that all
  children receive because there is too much
  variance in care.

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Literature

• Research on childcare in poor communities
• Childrens books portrayals of family
• Gender differences and social dynamics
• Much of the research already completed on this
  topic has to do with childcare within poor
  communities. My research looks at the other side
  of care so that it can be used to have a basis
  for all childcare centers.

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Methods

• Interviews to gain individual opinions and the
  centers specific policies and regulations.
• Teachers
• Staff
• Observations Be able to observe the social and
  cognitive interactions of children who I would
  not be able to interview
• Participant
• Naturalistic
• Field Notes used to ensure accuracy of
  observations.
• Questionnaires Allows insight into the parents
  opinions and views of the center.

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Methods Continued

• Participants
• 7 students around the age of 2 yrs. Old
• 4 Adult participants who are staff of the center
• 7 parents of students
• Participants had varying backgrounds and
  ethnicities.
• Time Spent Every Monday for 2 hours
• Validity Threat
• Language Barriers Used nonverbal communication
• Time spent spent some time observing in the
  morning and on a different day.
• Child attachments tried to stay neutral, giving
  equal time to each child.
• Triangulation Through 5 means of data
  collection

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EMBRACING A CHILD BASED ENVIRONMENT

• Everything in the facility from how the
  classroom is physically set up, to the policies,
  and training, are centered around the needs of
  the child

Physical Center
The Child
Training
Policies
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EMBRACING A CHILD BASED ENVIRONMENTCONTINUED

• Part of what makes this center have quality
  care is the fact that it focuses itself around
  the childrens needs and not what is going to
  make the most money.
• My research is trying to find what aspects make
  quality care and many aspects of my research
  surround the needs of the children. If all
  facilities focused on surrounding the practice
  around the needs of children instead of the needs
  of the facility this might raise the quality of
  care given.

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FOSTERING IMAGINATIVE AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL LEARNING

• The kids were always interacting with toys in
  multiple ways and the toys available were
  constantly being changed to bring new play
  opportunities to the children.

Physical Center
Diversity
Toys
Staff
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FOSTERING IMAGINATIVE AND MULTIFUNCTIONAL
LEARNINGCONTINUED

• The ability to constantly change the surroundings
  that the children are interacting with seems to
  involve different aspect of quality.
• Change in environment increases the amount of
  cognitive development the children are exposed
  to.
• This theme shows the amount of diversity the
  children experience not just in toys but in staff
  experience and ethnic diversity, seems to be a
  aspect of quality which other centers could
  strive for.

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Discussion

• My limitations included time and only being able
  to conduct my research in one classroom of one
  facility. Also, the limitations that the
  inability to communicate verbally with the
  children caused.
• Improvements can be made with getting more
  parental input on what they think is lacking.
  Improvements can always be made on the toys and
  environment the children are interacting with.
• Future research should look at what ways the
  traits of high quality childcare centers could be
  brought to lower quality centers. Also, the
  difference between continuity of care classrooms
  verses regular classroom quality.
• The best way to put this and future research into
  good use is to be able to make sure all students,
  no matter what their parents income, get the
  quality childcare development that high quality
  care is providing them now.

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References

• Fleming, L.M., Tobin, D.J. (2005) Popular
  Child-Rearing Books Where is Daddy? Psychology
  of Men Masculinity, 6, 18-24.
•  
• Leman, P.J., Ahmed, S., Ozarow, L. (2005)
  Gender, Gender Relations, and the Social
  Dynamics of Childrens Conversations.
  Developmental Psychology, 41, 64-74
•  
• Loeb, S., Fuller, B., Kagan, S.L., Carrol, B.
  (2004) Child Care in Poor Communities Early
  Learning Effects of Type, Quality, and Stability.
  Child Development. 75, 47-65.
•  
• NICHD Study of Early Child Care (2004) Are Child
  Development Outcomes Related to Before- and
  After-School Care Arrangements? Child
  Development. 75, 280-295.
•  
• Votruba-Drzal, E., Coley, R.L., Chase-Lansdale,
  L. (2004) Child Care and Low- Income Childrens
  Development Direct and Moderated Effects. Child
  Development. 75, 296-312.