Poster #177 - Early education opportunities: Are pathways not as accessible as they appear?

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - School Readiness/Childcare

Integrative Statement

Diverse disciplinary fields of economics, education, and human development provide converging evidence of the benefits of early education and care for children, their families, and society. Nevertheless, there are persistent gaps in access to and utilization of formal early education programs by minoritized and socio-economically vulnerable children and communities (Buysse, Castro, West, & Skinner, 2005). Scholarship and educational policy often analyze access from a resource-based perspective that includes financial components of access (Bainbridge, Meyers, Tanaka, & Waldfogel, 2005), but few studies have considered the family-based reasons for enrolling or not enrolling young children in formal early care and education (ECE).

Grounded in a critical developmental and ecological systems approach, this study is designed to explore the cultural and psychological dimensions of diverse families’ “access” to ECE opportunities and their related lived experiences. The study focuses on caregivers and educators working with young children and their families in order to 1.) understand how families define access and identify barriers to it and; 2.) identify effective field-based strategies for how educators promote quality engagement with and holistic support of young children and their families.

The mixed-methods study (e.g., interview, field notes, survey, extant data) includes a diverse range of stakeholders. The sample includes professionals (e.g., teachers, assistant teachers, directors, specialists) from formal ECE settings who work with and recruit from communities with young children who have been historically underserved or underutilized ECE. It also includes enrolled family members (e.g., parent, stepparent, legal guardian) from the selected programs, as well as unenrolled families from within the target communities. The families (enrolled and unenrolled) are initially identified through convenience sampling. Snowball sampling is used to identify additional families who may be difficult to track and those more likely to participate when encouraged by a peer. Data analyses are emergent and ongoing to inform subsequent data collection (e.g., taxonomy of caregiver noted concerns and untapped strengths). Preliminary themes suggest some families’ values may not align with curricula and practices in ECE contexts (e.g., belief that young children are better placed with family, not in the care of strange others) and families may consider that formal centers inadequately treat their young children in manners that are culturally sensitive (e.g., provide services that are linguistically or ethnically familiar).

Findings of the study are presented within a critical conceptual and empirical understanding of what constitutes “access” in ECE and broader discussions of achievement and opportunity gaps. By explicitly addressing why families may not enroll their young children in ECE programs, this project may provide entry points to addressing both the financial barriers to access as well as dimensions of access related to culture and identity. By exploring the perspective of families from an asset-based perspective, this project has implications for teacher preparation and development, public policy makers, and researchers to explore links between home, community, and center.

Authors

• Mona M. Abo-Zena, University of Massachusetts Boston
  Presenting Author

• Lindsay E Beatty, University of Massachusetts Boston
  Non-Presenting Author