Mothers Returning to Work and Sustaining Child Routines: The Role of Perceived Parent-Caregiver Partnership

• In Event: Poster Session 04
  In Poster Session: PS 04 Topic - School Readiness/Childcare

Abstract

Introduction: Consistent child routines enable children to have a sense of stability, predictability, and security all of which enhance children’s optimal development (Bater & Jordan, 2017). Establishing regular child routines early enhances children’s self-regulation, reduce children’s externalizing behavior problems, contribute to children’s cognitive development, enhance children’s social and academic outcomes, and reinforce caregivers’ interaction with children (Bater & Jordan, 2017; Kitsaras et al., 2020; Ren, & Fan, 2019). In the United States, mothers’ participation in the labor force has increased from 47% in 1975 to 71% in 2017 (U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2009, 2018). Because of this change in family structure and work demands, many families experience time pressures and conflicts in balancing their family and work responsibilities (Bianchi, 2011; Nomaguchi, 2009). Periods of work-family conflict and nonstandard work schedules can significantly interfere with maintaining/sustaining child routines and result in children losing the benefits of regular and stable routines (Daniel, et al., 2009; Fiese et al., 2002; McLoyd, et al., 2008). In this study, we examined how perception of parent-caregiver partnerships supported mothers in maintaining children’s routines. Research questions include: (a) what are the mothers’ attitudes/beliefs about their parent-caregiver partnership? (b) what are the characteristics/dimesnions of child care that relate to perceived qualities of the parent-caregiver partnership? (c) what do mothers do to ensure consistency in child routines between the home and the child care settings? (d) how are mothers’ attitudes/beliefs about partnership associated with their partnership behaviors relevant to maintaining child routines?

Methods: We recruited 42 working mothers of infants at 3-4 months of age. Using a convergent mixed method design (Plano Clark & Ivankova, 2016), we collected quantitative and qualitative data, analyzed them simultaneously using descriptive, bivariate correlations, and thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006) after which data were integrated using a joint display (Guetterman, Fetters, & Creswell, 2015). Quantitative data were collected using Parent survey (Timberlawn Research Foundation, 1993) and Caregiver-Parent Partnership scale (Owen et al., 2000), and qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews asking how mothers attempted to maintain child routines between the home and child care settings.

Results/Discussion: The overall sample consisted of working middle-income, White, married, and women. Overall, parents showed positive attitudes/beliefs about parent-caregiver partnership (M=3.81 to 4.65 on 1-5 scale). Bivariate correlations revealed significant, moderate associations among parents’ partnership behaviors (i.e., sharing information, seeking information, communication, and adult relations; r=.34 to .97, p<.05). The qualitative results revealed four unique themes regarding mothers’ efforts to ensure consistency in child routines: day-to-day last-minute coordinating, planning ahead and organizing, delegating responsibilities, and making trade-offs (Table 1). The mixed/integrated analysis revealed that, although parents generally had positive attitudes/beliefs toward their parent-caregiver partnership, differences were observed in how they attempted to maintain child routines between those with the most positive attitudes and those with the least positive attitudes (Table 2). The study contributes to a gap in the literature examining how mothers perceive their partnerships with their child care providers and how this partnership facilitates consistency and predictabiliy of child routines.

Authors

• Jamlick Peter Ondieki Bosire, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  Presenting Author

• Soo-Young Hong, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  Non-Presenting Author

• Yao Yao, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
  Non-Presenting Author

• Holly Hatton-Bowers, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
  Non-Presenting Author