Perusing Preschool Options: What Caregivers Seek and What They Find

• In Event: Fairmont Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Diverse Voices to Improve Early Childhood Outcomes (Table 13)

Abstract

In an era of increased educational options for parents, public school districts seek to remain competitive by offering various programmatic incentives and optimizing application and enrollment processes for their constituents. To date, however, research on critical factors influencing parental decisions on enrolling their children in pre-kindergarten choice programs has been scarce. To gain insight into parental decision-making in the context of pre-kindergarten enrollment, this study employed semi-structured interviews including applicants who considered enrollment for their child in a pre-k program from a three year period. Evaluating responses from the interview participants, in combination with their ultimate enrollment status in a newly-opened pre-kindergarten choice program located in South Texas, adds to the existing literature surrounding parent decision-making processes.

Author

• Paul Kienlen, Texas A&M University - San Antonio
  Presenting Author