Poster #36 - Myanmar Refugee Families’ Expectations, Values, and Choice of Child Care

• In Event: Poster Session 17

Abstract

This study aimed to understand Myanmar refugee families’ expectations, values, and preferences for childcare to increase access to infant/toddler childcare in Early Head Start (EHS) programs. There are numerous reasons parents choose to enroll their children in care; personal preferences, resources, requirements, cultural considerations, and the quality, convenience, supply, and cost of care all appear to have some bearing on the decision to seek childcare (Fram & Kim, 2008). These reasons hold true for Myanmar refugee families. However, Myanmar refugee children are struggling academically in public schools. In 3rd grade, their reading proficiency tends to be 4.5 times lower than their peers (csctulsa.org, 2022). EHS is a comprehensive early intervention program for families and children of low income, and it is a critical context for supporting Myanmar refugee infants/toddlers.
Myanmar refugees have been increasing and making up 25% of the total migrant population in one city in the Midwest in 2007 (Eaton, 2007). Participants were recruited from a local community’s parent education seminar; 25 parents answered surveys, seven parents participated in interviews, and five mothers participated in a focus group discussion. All interview data were audio-recorded and translated from a local language to English. Member checking was completed in the local language. The three-level qualitative analysis comprised open, axial, and selective coding (Saldaña, 2015), reducing raw data, identifying themes within subsamples, comparing themes across subsamples, creating a code, and determining the code's dependability (Miller et al., 2014).
Myanmar refugee families showed high expectations of children’s education; some participants said it was the main reason they came to the U.S. Nevertheless, this study found a lack of competency in academic support among Myanmar parents. Most participants do not send their children to childcare because they mostly care for their infants-toddlers at home. Like Miller (2016) found in Spanish migrant families, Myanmar refugee parents valued keeping their home language and building warm relationships with their children. The anxiety of cultural discontinuity between home and childcare centers and losing their culture and language were two of Myanmar refugee families’ most significant concerns regarding childcare choices (Ebbeck & Cerna, 2007; De Gioia, 2013). Refugees also have limited access to information about childcare programs and more challenges due to low English language competencies and social isolation (Ward et al., 2011).
It is critical to understand Myanmar families’ childcare choices considering their children’s most rapid foundational growth and the link to later academic success (Li et al., 2018). Given the importance of providing quality early intervention, programs must strive to understand that Myanmar refugee families tend to care for their infant/toddler at home due to prioritizing their home language and culture. Open dialogue and conversations need to occur to provide knowledge of sustaining the home language while supporting English as early as possible to reduce achievement gaps (Choi et al., 2018). Our findings will enable educators to intervene, assist, and advise stakeholders to increase EHS accessibility. Furthermore, this information will promote more inclusive education.

Authors

• Boo Young Lim, The University of Oklahoma
  Presenting Author

• Vickie Eileen Lake, University of Oklahoma