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Getting to Where the Children Are: Supporting Family, Friend
and Neighbor Child Care Providers through Training
Eva Marie Shivers, J.D., Ph.D.Institute for Child Development Research & Social Change
Indigo Cultural Center, Inc.
December 2, 2008
For more information contact Dr. Shivers: [email protected]
Outline of presentation. . .
Framing the questionsSearching for answersTraining strategies with family, friend &
neighbor careZero To Three’s research findings from FFN
focus groupsFindings from 2 other FFN studiesRevisiting our questionsConclusion
Framing questions. . .Overarching goal is to implement FFN child
care policies that will translate into optimal concurrent and future developmental outcomes for children.
Key questions: Where are we now? Where do we want to go? How do we get there? How will we know when we’re there?
Searching for answers. . .
Examine, compare and contrast policies from other states and counties
Examine research findings (scholarly & program evaluations)
Conduct local research and evaluations
FFN Professional Development. . .Initiatives
Toni Porter, 2007 (Research Connections)
Child Care Model Training workshops Support
groups/networking Distribution of
materials and equipment
Home visiting
Family Support Model Home visiting Play & Learn
SUPPORTING QUALITY IN Family, Friend and Neighbor CHILD CARE: PATHWAYS FOR INFLUENCING CHILD OUTCOMES
Home-Based Care Environment/
Interactions and Behaviors
Child Outcomes
Caregiver
Characteristics
Caregiver Parent Communication
Parent Characteristics
Characteristics of Care
Caregiver Outcomes
Parent Outcomes
Initiative to Support FFN Care
Framework adapted from Porter, T., Pausell, D., DelGrosso, P., Avellar, S., Hass, R., & Vuong, L. (2008). A review of the literature on home-based child care: Implications for future directions, draft report. Princeton:Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Why do we need to continue to seek answers to our questions?
Assumptions about family, friend and neighbor care. . .
Not a lot of evidence about effectiveness of training, support and outreach. . . Yet!
“Exploring the Training Needs of FFN Child Care Providers” (Shivers, 2008)A study for Zero to ThreeFunded by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and HHS/ACF Child Care Bureau
30 FFN providers Focus groups in 3 different states (AZ, CA, OK) Wide diversity
(37% Latina; 23% Af. Am; 20% Cherokee; 13% White) ZTT to develop training materials for FFN providers Focus on social and emotional development
Major Research Questions. . .
1. How do providers’ day-to-day experiences impact their training needs and interests?
2. What content areas related to social and emotional development are most useful?
3. What other content areas are most relevant?
4. What format is most relevant?5. How do cultural learning and
communication styles impact reaction to content and format?
1. How do providers’ day-to-day experiences impact their training needs and interests?
Interactions with parents very salientPro: providers and parents can get on the
“same page” with child rearing strategies - continuity for child
Pro: lots of open communication with parentsCon: sometimes inconsistent discipline
strategies
2. What content areas related to social and emotional development are most useful?
Positive discipline - How to motivate children with love and affection
How do children’s temperaments impact the way in which you interact with them?
How can we help children regulate their emotions to help get them ready for kindergarten or group child care?
Ideas for how to help children with special needs socialize with other children.
3. What other content areas are most relevant?
Enhanced communication strategies with parents
Ideas for specialized activities for children of all ages (including school age)
Brain developmentUnderstanding developmental milestonesResources and information about children with
special needs
4. What format is most relevant?
Easy to read materialMaterial that can be shared with parentsMaterial that can be the topic of discussion for
a group of providersMaterial with content that can be facilitated by
a trainer
5. How do cultural learning and communication styles impact reaction to
content and format? Material must be translated in an authentic way. All of the ZTT material read by providers was culturally
relevant - agreement that soc./emot. content was culturally relevant.
Diverse images of parents and children very appealing. Dissemination: Internet challenging for many providers,
but not challenging for trainers and agencies. Providers prefer hard-copies received from others.
Cultural communication styles are implicated in how the material is used and disseminated by agencies.
Professional Development Matters. . .
Highlighted findings from 2 FFN studies
Environmental Quality (FDCRS)
Shivers, 2006 Average score = 3.78 Range = 2.00 to 6.00
Shivers & Barr, 2007 Average score on
FDCRS = 4.21 Range = 2.00 to 6.41(1 = inadequate; 7 = excellent)
Associations with higher environmental quality (FDCRS)Shivers, 2006: More ECE units*** Higher provider sensitivity**Shivers & Barr, 2007: Higher annual income** Greater sense of economic well-being** Involvement with community organizations* Involvement with child care community* Endorsing “restrictive” views on child rearing** Viewing job as “chosen occupation” *
Associations with language practices. . .
Providers who engaged in higher quality language interactions with children had more ECE units.*
Providers who engaged in higher quality language interactions with children were also more sensitive.*
(Shivers, 2006)
Providers who engaged in more optimal TV use were more likely to. . .
Care for fewer children under the age of 5 (-.20*)
Perceive that their material and financial needs were adequately met (.37***)
Attend training workshops (.23*)Express more support and satisfaction with
information about providing care for young children (.21*, .27**)
(Shivers & Barr, 2007)
Overall Emotional Availability scores were positively associated with:
+ Total family size*
+ Annual household income*
+ Differences in these scores could be seen among those who
differed in marital status (single vs. married)*
+ Frequent attendance at training workshops*
- Negatively associated with: high child defiance; high adult
reprimand/scold; low adult expanding on child’s language** Correlations significant at the .05 level.
(Shivers, 2006)
Policy Implications from FFN studies. . .
Training, support and outreach programs promote intentionality and motivation, which in turn impact provider practices with children.
Provide social support networking opportunities that are rooted in cultural communities.
How do we implement and measure quality in the best possible ways?
Implications for children’s later developmental
outcomes How can we “support” the provider?
Key policy questions. . .
How do FFN providers fit into other state-wide child care initiatives?(e.g. QRS, systems-building, public-private partnerships)
How do we fund evaluations that examine the impact of professional development on providers’ practices and child outcomes?
How would we reconcile implementing quality initiatives with FFN providers, without addressing low quality in licensed settings?
Concluding thoughts. . .
Question our assumptions about FFN care, maintain awareness of where FFN care is on the child care continuum, and shift our paradigms accordingly.
Design initiatives with enough flexibility to allow for tailored cultural responsiveness.
Biggest gap in our knowledge about FFN care could be remedied by more research and evaluation!
References. . .
Porter, T. (2007). Assessing initiatives for family, friend and neighbor child care: An overview of models and evaluations. Research to Policy Connections, no.5. www.researchconnections.org
Shivers, E. M. (2006). A closer look at kith and kin care: Exploring variability of quality within family, friend and neighbor care. Applied Developmental Psychology, 27, 411-
426.
Shivers, E. M. & Barr, R. (2007). Exploring cultural differences in children’s exposure to television in home-based child care settings. Journal of Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families 27, 39-45.
