Learning With Home-Based Child Care Providers and Parents Through Participatory Research Approaches

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

Home-based child care providers (HBCCPs), and especially HBCCPs of Color, have long been the backbone of care and education in the United States, yet continue to experience marginalization because of their locations in non-classroom and often non-white spaces (Lloyd et al., 2021; Michel, 1999; Vogtman, 2017). In recent years, HBCCPs, especially licensed or regulated family child care professionals, have become a focus in research and policy (DelGrosso et al., 2021). This session will present research that uses participatory approaches to examining the experiences and strengths of HBCCPs for children, families, and communities. Participatory research approaches aim to move from “empowerment” to authentic engagement of community members in collaborative partnerships that guide all aspects of research design, data collection, and analysis decisions (Drame & Irby, 2015).

The proposed symposium includes three papers that highlight both the strengths of HBCCPs and the challenges they face participating in policy systems not designed with or for them. The first paper describes the process and findings from working with mothers and grandmothers as technical advisors on mixed-methods study of programs and policies to support HBCCPs. The second paper presents findings from a state-specific investigation of how HBCCPs understand quality care. The third paper presents data from a study in four local communities that examines and reimagines how HBCCPs support families’ access to comprehensive services. The session will include a facilitated discussion of the successes and challenges using participatory research and reflections on how philanthropic, government, and academic institutions can better support community-engaged approaches to research.

Sub Unit

• Diversity, Equity & Social Justice

Chair

• Samantha Melvin, Erikson Institute

Discussant

• Amanda Clincy Coleman, US department of Health and human services

Individual Presentations

• What is Quality Care and How Can We Provide It?: Listening to Virginia Home-based Providers - Corey Shdaimah, University of Maryland Baltimore; Presenting Author: Elizabeth Palley, Adelphi University; Bweikia Steen, Mason

• Process and Findings from Engaging Community Members as Technical Advisors in a Study of Home-Based Providers - Presenting Author: Zoelene Hill, New York Academy of Medicine

• Community Building Resources for Children and Families: Reimagining a Community-Centered Framework for Comprehensive Services - Samantha Melvin, Erikson Institute; Presenting Author: Juliet Sara Bromer, Erikson Institute; Crystasany Turner, Erikson Institute; Jennifer P Baquedano, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago and Erikson Institute