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Gable, S., & Halliburton, A. (2003). Barriers to child care providers’ professional development. Child & Youth Care Forum, 32(3), 175-193.
This study examined one state’s child care workforce including center-based providers and family child care providers. Results were compared to the state’s current child care regulations.
The Study
- Research shows a link between child care providers education and child care quality. Therefore, continued professional development would only enhance child care quality.
- States have not adopted minimum education requirements for child care providers.
- Quality of care is affected by turnover and substandard professional development requirements.
- Many of these issues are being addressed by national organizations and by some federal and state standards development.
The Methods
- Participants qualified if they worked 30 or more hours per week and had been a provider for more than one year.
- The final sample included 92 center directors, 230 center teachers, and 325 family child care providers in Missouri.
- Of the total sample, 87% were white, 10% African American, and the rest were a mix of other ethnicities. Thirty-six percent of the sample had an Associate degree or college credits in Child Development; 30% of the total sample had a four-year degree.
The Findings
- All participants believed that child care providers should have education and training before caring for children.
- Center-based staff felt there should be a link between education and compensation; family child care providers disagreed.
- Child center directors tended to have the most education; however, family child care providers reported the highest incomes.
- Most participants cited “inconvenient scheduling” as the greatest barrier to continuing professional development.
R2P Evaluation
The sample does not lend itself to generalizablity across the country. However, the findings do indicate that professional development for child care providers may not be as accessible as needed.
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