Experiences of ECE Professionals as Mandated Reporters: Identifying Critical Areas for Support and Training

• In Event: Poster Session 01
  In Poster Session: PS 01 Topic - School Readiness/Childcare

Abstract

Introduction
While professionals in Early Childhood Education (ECE) have been legally mandated to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect (CAN) in all 50 U.S. states for more than 30 years, a lack of training inhibits their reporting (Dinehart & Kenny, 2015). The need for CAN prevention research has increased as the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has introduced unprecedented stressors to families. COVID-19 stressors are positively correlated with levels of parental stress, which could manifest as increased potential for CAN (Brown et al., 2020). This study explores the needs of ECE professionals surrounding mandated reporter training and their experiences with the reporting process.

Research Questions
What are the experiences of ECE professionals surrounding CAN reporting?
What gaps exist in current CAN mandated reporter training for ECE professionals?

Study participants
More than 700 mandated reporters working in a large metropolitan region in a midwestern state were surveyed as part of a community needs assessment. Survey participants volunteered to share their experiences during follow-up focus groups. A total of 21 ECE professionals participated in 9 focus groups. Participants worked across several areas in the field including: state- and federally-funded programs, tuition-based preschools, and in-home settings.

Positionality
All researchers on the project are ECE professionals and worked from an “insider position” having shared similar experiences as the participants in the groups (Berger, 2013, p. 223). This position both equipped researchers with a deep understanding of the phenomena while also calling for rigorous reflection of how their prior experiences could shape conversations and analyses (Berger, 2013).

Methods
Researchers coded using a constant comparative, inductive method of content analysis guided by Grounded theory. Since the focus groups needed to be held virtually (COVID-19 restrictions), researchers intentionally kept the number of participants low for each focus group (no more than 5). Focus group participants were asked eight questions pertaining to their experiences as mandated reporters of CAN. Each focus group was recorded and transcribed by Zoom, with the transcript audited for accuracy. Their responses were aggregated for a total of 446 pages.

Findings
Five categories emerged from the data: Training needs, Barriers, Sense of duty, Negative feelings, and Supervisor influence. With further analysis, two major themes emerged from these five categories: Training gaps and Teachers’ experiences. See Table 1 for supporting participant comments. A robust description of our findings will be provided.

Discussion and Implication
This study adds to existing literature describing the gaps in mandated reporter training for ECE professionals (Dinehart & Kenny, 2015). Several implications stem from this research: 1) Training developers need to address reporting barriers for ECE professionals; 2) Training should include the needs of ECE providers after reporting suspected CAN cases; 3) Training should be designed to prepare educators to identify potential cases of CAN when teaching in a virtual format during COVID-19, while decreased detection may be a significant issue (Campbell, 2020).

Authors

• Katie Sloan, Central Michigan University
  Presenting Author

• Melissa Bishop, Coastal Carolina University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katie Homant, Oakland University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Tomoko Wakabayashi, Oakland University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Carol A. Markley, Oakland University
  Non-Presenting Author