The Gap: Parental knowledge about daycare

Abstract

Daycare parents ( N =37; mean age=30) were interviewed by phone about important aspects of their child's daycare center. Information about the daycare centers' structural and procedural characteristics was obtained through interviews with center directors. Comparisons between parental answers and the data provided by the directors revealed significant gaps in parental knowledge of daycare. On average, parents answered only 45% of questions correctly, and reported a lack of knowledge regarding both general center characteristics ( i.e. ,'turnover rates, caregiver training, and hiring practices) and specific group characteristics ( i.e. , group size, adult-child ratio, and child's daily schedule). Parental knowledge increased with length of involvement with the center, but other variables such as parent education and the number of hours the child spent in care per week did not contribute to prediction of parental knowledge.