Family Childcare Educators' Experiences Caring for Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Eighteen
  In Roundtable Session: Responding to Emerging Scientific and Societal Changes (Table 18)

Abstract

This qualitative study describes the experiences of 27 licensed family child care educators during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the decline in family child care that was occurring prior to the pandemic and the concerns around early care and education closures due to COVID, it is helpful to understand how family child care educators made operating decisions, the challenges they faced, and the supports that helped them remain open. Together, results highlight that family child care educators primarily made operating decisions based on the needs of enrolled families. They adapted well to new challenges, and external system flexibility decreased some pre-COVID challenges. Together, these results have implications for supporting family child care educators beyond the pandemic.

Authors

• Alison Hooper, University of Alabama
  Presenting Author

• Claire Schweiker
  Non-Presenting Author