Day Care Experience Research Articles

Reimagined day care for older people - supporting older people and caregivers to age in place.

There is a widespread view amongst policy makers, as well as some senior managers and commissioners in local authorities, that collective forms of day care for older people are outdated and not aligned with wider policy ambitions. However, there is also growing recognition, amongst advocacy organisations such as Carers UK and Age UK, that many older people and their caregivers would welcome the opportunity to attend collective day care services, as well as growing interest amongst providers of services and older people themselves about the need to transform provision. 
 As health and social care commissioners in England develop Integrated Care Systems, there is potential for reimagined day care for older people to play an important role in delivering person-centred, preventative and place-based care for older people and their caregivers, including enabling older people to live at home for longer as well as addressing wellbeing, loneliness and social isolation. 
 The presentation will outline findings from case studies visited as part of a National Institute for Health Research, School for Social Care Research study exploring the experiences of and aspirations for collective day care in England, from the perspectives of older people, their carers, those who work in or manage services, as well as local stakeholders from the health and care system. For this research, day care is defined as community building-based services that provide care and/or health related services and/or clubs and activities specifically for older people (65+) with care and support needs. 
 Case studies visited included a range of models of day care for older people including day centres for people living with dementia, small-scale day care based in a hosts home, to large-scale preventative provision for older people. The study explored: peoples experiences of attending; impact on wellbeing and health of older people and their caregivers; what an ideal model of day care would look like; experiences of day care through the COVID-19 pandemic; and relationships with local health and community partners. 
 Our findings highlight the role day care can play in providing opportunities for connection and friendship for older people who attend, supporting caregivers to sustain their caring role, and supporting physical and mental wellbeing and health of older people and their caregivers. Highlighting the importance of personal connections, joy and purposeful activity, design of the physical space and connections with local place, the presentation will discuss innovations in practice that may support a ‘reimagining of day care’, ensuring it meets the aspirations of older people and their caregivers, as well as supporting wider policy ambitions including how social care services can contribute to the wider preventative health agenda. 

UNCERTAINTY REDUCTION STRATEGIES FOR PARENTS OF DAY CARE SERVICE USERS

Interpersonal communication typically involves two individuals engaging in dialogue, whether acquainted or unfamiliar. However, when individuals engage in conversation after a recent encounter, there is a tendency for uncertainty to arise. Uncertainty and anxiety surface when one lacks information about their conversational partner, compelling them to employ strategies to reduce this uncertainty. This study aims to elucidate the types of uncertainty experienced by parents utilizing the services of "Teman Kecil" Day Care for their children and explore their strategies for alleviating uncertainty using the Uncertainty Reduction Theory proposed by Berger and Calabrese. Employing a case study approach, the researchers gathered qualitative data through in-depth interviews with parents and caregivers at "Teman Kecil" Day Care. The findings reveal that parents experience cognitive uncertainty, wherein they feel unsure about the situations their children will encounter while in the care of "Teman Kecil" Day Care. To mitigate this uncertainty, parents actively employ strategies such as conducting surveys through social media platforms like Instagram, consulting Google Reviews, and seeking advice from peers with prior daycare experiences. Additionally, parents passively employ strategies by observing the caregivers at "Teman Kecil" Day Care. Lastly, parents employ interactive strategies to comprehensively understand the forthcoming situations, engaging in face-to-face communication with caregivers to acquire the necessary information.

코로나19에 스마트매체를 활용한 어린이집 교육경험의 현상학적 연구

Objectives The purpose of this study is to suggest effective support measures in the field of early childhood education by understanding the essence contained in the experience and experienced phenomena of daycare center education using smart media in the time of Corona 19 with in-depth technology and finding out ways to improve it.
 Methods At daycare centers in Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province, 12 principals and teachers with experience in daycare during the COVID-19 period were selected as research participants. Data collection was conducted from November 2021 to January 2022 through the target group interview method (focus group interview) and individual interviews.
 Results The experience of daycare education using smart media in the time of Corona 19 is ‘Changes in class methods and unexpected problems’, ‘Sports day through ZOOM, parent education’, ‘Starting field trips with smart media’, ‘Community connection with smart media’ Activities’, ‘Teachers need to consider the convenience of work’, ‘Increasing concerns of parents using smart media’, ‘Autonomy of imagination and creativity classes’, ‘Need support for equipment that can cooperate with families’, ‘Parent counseling as a smart medium’ ‘Same equipment supply and teacher education at the level of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’, ‘In case of the same disaster situation, it is necessary to understand the parents in advance’, ‘Development of smart education programs suitable for age’, ‘Smart education experts at daycare centers' Support’, smart class preparation time and expansion of assistant teachers' manpower.
 Conclusions This study has significance in that it paid attention to the educational experiences of daycare center directors and teachers using smart media during the COVID-19 period, and in-depth explored the essential meaning of the experienced phenomenon and suggested improvement measures. In the hopes that it will be helpful in preparing effective support measures in the field of early childhood education, a follow-up study on the distribution and education direction at the national level for the universal use of smart media was proposed.

Toward assessment for playful learning in early childhood: Influences on teachers' science assessment practices

AbstractIn many countries, play is the vehicle for teaching and learning, requiring early childhood teachers to recognize and assess children's demonstrations of knowledge and capabilities as they are displayed during play. In the context of science learning, assessing what children know already, referred to as “assessment for learning,” equips teachers with the knowledge required to make purposeful decisions during these playful experiences and guide children's science process skill development while following their interests. Consistent evidence since the introduction of national quality standards in Australia has identified a need to strengthen teacher capabilities in assessment. This research investigated teachers' assessment practices, and the influences on these practices, during the implementation of a suite of playful science experiences in long day care and preschool settings in the Northern Territory (NT), Australia. Teachers were introduced to the NT Preschool Science Games and were supported to apply an assessment tool designed for the observation and development of science process skills. Adopting a multiple case study approach, semistructured interviews from three cases were thematically analyzed. Our findings demonstrate that despite having specific tools to support assessment for learning these were inconsistently applied. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews revealed that assessment practice was influenced by contextual influences, affective responses and teaching practice. Unpacking these themes further, we identified that following children's interests was associated with the absence of systematic assessment of scientific thinking to inform planning for learning within the informal curriculum. To support teacher practice in early childhood science, and promote the assessment of children's capabilities within playful learning, we propose a model of Assessment for playful learning.

Comparison of induction and recovery characteristics of propofol and sevoflurane in day care adult tonsillectomies

Ambulatory anaesthesia is a rapidly growing subspecialty. Although its history is as old as the history of general anesthesia itself, it has emerged as a recognized concept and is evolving over the past couple of decades. Propofol and Sevoflurane have increased the ability of the anaesthesiologist to provide a successful day-care experience. The aim of the study was to compare the induction and recovery characteristics of Propofol and Sevoflurane when they are used as single induction and maintenance anaesthetic agent in adult day care tonsillectomies. This was a randomized prospective study carried out after obtaining ethical committee and institutional approval. 60 patients were randomly allocated to either the Propofol or the Sevoflurane group by lots. Each group had 30 patients and was named ‘P’ for Propofol and ‘S’ for Sevoflurane. Their age ranged from 13 to 40 years. All the patients were assessed and those with normal clinical, biochemical, radiological and haematological parameters were selected. Despite the low blood gas solubility of Sevoflurane, inhalation induction of anaesthesia was slower than intravenous induction with Propofol. Though the incidence of induction complications was more with Sevoflurane group, it did not compromise tracheal intubation or haemodynamics except for bradycardia observed in three patients.

Prosocial Behavior in Preschoolers: Effects of Early Socialization Experiences With Peers.

Over the last decades, many studies had focused on the psychological outcomes of children who have received early socialization outside of the family context, highlighting that the daycare experience can both positively and negatively influence the child’s social-emotional development. Despite the number of studies conducted, there is a lack of observational research on this topic. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the early daycare experience can influence the prosocial behaviors that children exhibit during free-play social interactions with peers, focusing on their quantity and quality. In addition, the associations between the enactment of prosocial behaviors and social-emotional and behavioral competence were investigated. 160 preschoolers, 77 of whom had previously attended daycare, participated in the study and were focally observed during two free play sessions with peers. Each prosocial behavior was identified and subsequently classified using a coding scheme designed to consider the self-initiated or required origin of prosocial actions and their underlying motive. Emotion comprehension was measured using a standardized test, while social-emotional and behavioral competence was assessed using a questionnaire filled out by teachers. The main findings showed that children who had attended daycare had higher anger and aggression scores than those who had not, who, in turn, were rated by their teachers as having more internalizing behaviors. These characteristics seemed to account for the differences found in the tendency to act prosocial acts in response to a peer’s request, which was lower in children who had a previous daycare experience. Moreover, early socialization outside of the family context appeared to foster the comprehension of others’ intent to achieve emotional or instrumental personal goals and, at the same time, to reduce conventional/affiliative prosocial acts. Overall, this study suggested that the incidental effects of daycare on prosocial behavior might be canceled due to the peculiar social-emotional and behavioral characteristics of the two groups of children.

Self-efficacy experiences in day care and primary school from the children’s perspective: A starting point for the reflection of didactic and methodological competences of adult educators

This paper discusses self-efficacy as a key factor in children managing the transition to primary school, the threshold to formal education and further learning processes. In presenting results of a qualitative-longitudinal interview study of German preschool and primary school children’s perspectives on their self-efficacy experiences, it furnishes evidence for enhancing self-efficacy in pedagogical practice in a so-called mastery climate. Co-determined or self-determined opportunities for playing without adult intervention prove to be central in this to children’s self-efficacy. Following on from this, the discussion will make references to the pedagogical relevance of child-led or unsupervised play for the promotion of self-efficacy in both settings. In addition, based on the reflection of the concept of generational order, the study points to concrete starting points to focus on necessary didactic and methodological competences of adult educators for the appropriate design of child-oriented co-determined or self-determined learning settings.

Agreement between long-term care users’ quality of experience in daycare and providers’ perceptions: A cross-sectional study based on the flow model

ABSTRACTOccupational therapists assist individuals by providing suitable activities and skills, making it important to understand the user’s experiences. We explored discrepancies between daycare facility users’ quality of experience (based on the channels of the flow model) and providers’ perceptions of that quality. We obtained the cooperation of 48 daycare facility users and five providers. The results showed that the experience channels differed according to the user for the same activities. Furthermore, providers found it difficult to perceive users’ channels during daycare facility activities; overall, they accurately perceived only 24.5% of users’ channels, even for the easiest for the providers to perceive, agreement occurred in approximately half of the cases. Since it is difficult for health care providers to fully perceive what users are experiencing while participating in activities in their daycare facility, we recommend that providers put further effort into attending to users’ situations and emotions to provide suitable activities.

Étude observationnelle du temps passé en hôpital de jour selon la voie d’administration (intraveineuse vs sous-cutanée) d’une thérapie ciblée

New routes of administration available for some targeted therapies, especially subcutaneous injections, have an impact not only on the patients' daycare experience, but also on the unit's organization. This observational study conducted on 48 voluntary patients at the Institut universitaire du cancer Toulouse-Oncopole shows that the mean duration of the outpatient unit stay is diminished by one hour when a subcutaneous injection is used instead of an intravenous route. This duration decrease is mainly caused by an 82% average reduction in treatment duration. However, the waiting times before and after the treatment itself are not significantly impacted. Organizational methods related to the treatment prescription and preparation remain indeed the same. Anticipated prescription is not noticeably impacted either. This reduction of the duration of stay will truly be obtained if the whole unit's organization is adapted.

Maternal stress, parenting factors, experiences in day care, and developmental outcomes in 5-year-old children in day care in Japan(Paper & Abstract September 18th)

Maternal stress, parenting factors, experiences in day care, and developmental outcomes in 5-year-old children in day care in Japan(Paper & Abstract September 18th)

Early Vocabulary in Relation to Gender, Bilingualism, Type, and Duration of Childcare.

This study investigates the predictive value of child-related and environmental characteristics for early lexical development. The German productive vocabulary of 51 2-year-olds (27 girls), assessed via parental report, was analyzed taking children’s gender, the type of early care they experienced, and their mono- versus bilingual language composition into consideration. The children were from an educationally homogeneous group of families and state-regulated daycare facilities with high structural quality. All investigated subgroups exhibited German vocabulary size within the expected normative range. Gender differences in vocabulary composition, but not in size, were observed. There were no general differences in vocabulary size or composition between the 2 care groups. An interaction between the predictors gender and care arrangement showed that girls without regular daycare experience before the age of 2 years had a somewhat larger vocabulary than all other investigated subgroups of children. The vocabulary size of the 2-year-old children in daycare correlated positively with the duration of their daycare experience prior to testing. The small subgroup of bilingual children investigated exhibited slightly lower but still normative German expressive vocabulary size and a different vocabulary composition compared to the monolingual children. This study expands current knowledge about relevant predictors of early vocabulary. It shows that in the absence of educational disadvantages the duration of early daycare experience of high structural quality is positively associated with vocabulary size but also points to the fact that environmental characteristics, such as type of care, might affect boys’ and girls’ early vocabulary in different ways.

Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Costs of Daycare 002 for Girls

Exploiting admission thresholds in a Regression Discontinuity Design, we study the causal effects of daycare at age 0–2 on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes at age 8–14. One additional month in daycare reduces IQ by 0.5% (4.5% of a standard deviation). Effects for conscientiousness are small and imprecisely estimated. Psychologists suggest that children in daycare experience fewer one-to-one interactions with adults, which should be particularly relevant for girls who are more capable than boys of exploiting cognitive stimuli at an early age. In line with this interpretation, losses for girls are larger and more significant, especially in affluent families.

Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Costs of Daycare 0–2 for Girls

Exploiting admission thresholds in a Regression Discontinuity Design, we study the causal effects of daycare at age 0–2 on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes at age 8–14. One additional month in daycare reduces IQ by 0.5% (4.5% of a standard deviation). Effects for conscientiousness are small and imprecisely estimated. Psychologists suggest that children in daycare experience fewer one-to-one interactions with adults, which should be particularly relevant for girls who are more capable than boys of exploiting cognitive stimuli at an early age. In line with this interpretation, losses for girls are larger and more significant, especially in affluent families.

Processes of categorisation and the politics of belonging in early childhood education and care: An infant’s experience in multi-age family day care

Belonging is emerging as an important concept for early childhood education and care. However, it is one that requires further theorisation beyond everyday or romanticised understandings. The politics of belonging provides a potentially productive focus for thinking about belonging in early childhood education and care because of its attention to how belonging in all its complexity works. A key aspect of the politics of belonging is processes of categorisation, or how social categories influence who does and does not belong, who decides and on what basis. In this article, the author complicates the notion of categorisation by bringing it into an encounter with the concepts of lines and segmentarity from Deleuze. The author then uses these concepts to look at video data of an infant aged eight to nine months in family day care, in an effort to illustrate how processes of categorisation, lines and segmentarity were at work. The data suggests that the category of ‘baby’ played a complex and dynamic role in the infant’s experiences at family day care. Nevertheless, the encounter between the data and Deleuze’s concepts suggests that categories cannot ever tell the whole story, and that looking for situations in which categories no longer appear to work, in which they leak and rupture, might lead to new understandings about how belonging works in different early childhood education and care contexts.

보육경험과 어머니의 양육행동이 유아의 문제행동에 미치는 주효과와 상호작용 효과

본 연구의 목적은 보육경험과 어머니의 양육행동이 유아의 문제행동에 미치는 주효과와 상호작용 효과를 살펴보는 것이다. 만 3-5세 유아 248명(남아: 112명, 여아: 136명)과 그들의 어머니가 본 연구에 참여하였으며, 어머니들은 보육경험(보육 시작 시기, 1일 평균 보육시간, 주당 평균 보육일, 보육기관 변경횟수), 양육행동, 유아의 문제행동에 관한 문항들이 포함된 질문지에 응답하였다. 본 연구의 주요결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 보육경험 중 보육기관 변경횟수가 잦을수록 유아는 공격성을 더 보였다. 둘째, 어머니의 양육행동 중 논리적 설명, 강압, 방임이 유아의 문제행동에 영향을 미쳤다. 마지막으로 보육경험과 어머니의 양육행동은 상호작용하여 유아의 문제행동에 영향을 미쳤다. 이러한 결과는 보육경험이 모든 유아에게 동일한 영향을 미치는 것이 아니며, 어머니의 양육행동에 따라 보육경험의 영향에 차이가 있을 수 있음을 제안한다. The purpose of this study was to examine the main and interaction effects of day-care experiences and maternal parenting behavior on preschoolers' externalizing and internalizing problem behaviors. A total of 248 preschoolers(112 boys and 136 girls) and their mothers participated in this study. Mothers provided information about their children's day-care experiences(i.e., age of entry, hours per week, days per week, and number of day care centers attended by the preschoolers), their parenting behavior, and their children's problem behavior. Data were analyzed using correlations, multiple and hierarchical regressions, and post-hoc analysis suggested by Aiken and West(1991). First, preschoolers who frequently changed day-care centers showed higher levels of aggression. Second, maternal logical explanation, coercive and neglecting parenting behavior significantly influenced preschoolers' externalizing and internalizing problem behavior. Finally, interactions of day-care experiences and maternal parenting behavior were significant in predicting preschoolers' problem behavior. These findings suggest that day-care experiences need to be considered with other family variables in predicting preschoolers' developmental outcomes.

Toddlers’ Responses to Infants’ Negative Emotions

Early developments in toddlers’ responses to adults’ distress have been extensively examined, but less work has been directed to young children's responses to other children in distress. In the current study, we examined 12‐, 18‐, and 24‐month‐old children's (N = 71) behavioral and affective responses to a crying infant (doll) present in the room with the child. A comparison condition included a contented, neutral infant to contrast with the crying infant so as to disambiguate social interest from distress‐specific responding. Results showed that 12‐month‐olds were neither particularly interested in nor concerned about the infant, although they did discriminate between conditions. In contrast, 18‐ and 24‐month‐olds were socially interested and attentive to the infant, but 24‐month‐olds exhibited greater affective concern to the crying infant than did 18‐month‐olds. Children at all three ages were also mildly distressed themselves by the infant's crying, and this did not decline over the second year. Both girls and children without siblings were more interested in the infant; no effects were found for gender, daycare experience, or siblings on affective concern.

Children’s hair cortisol as a biomarker of stress at school entry

Quantification of cortisol in scalp hair seems a promising measurement for long-term cortisol levels, and thereby a biomarker for stress. We examined hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) in children when first entering elementary school. Participants were 42 children (45% boys) with a mean age of 4.2 years (SD = 0.42 months). Hair samples (≥5 cm) were collected 2 months after school entry. Hair analysis was conducted using two 2-cm long segments, reflecting the first 2 months of school attendance (the scalp-near segment) and 2 months prior to school entry. HCC were higher after school entry than before, especially for fearful children. Alterations in HCC were not moderated by experience in group daycare before school entry. Thus, HCC suggest that starting elementary school is accompanied by increased stress hormone levels in young (in particular fearful) children.

Canadian parents’ knowledge and satisfaction regarding their child’s day-care experience

The purpose of this study was to examine parental selection criteria and satisfaction with day care, knowledge about centre philosophy, teacher education and quality of the day-care environment. Parents ( n = 261) and educators ( n = 94) in 44 non-profit centres in three Canadian cities participated. Parent knowledge was assessed by phone interview, and day-care quality was rated. Many parents reported knowledge of the centre’s philosophy and were highly satisfied with the care but sometimes held inaccurate views of the teacher’s education. Parent education positively predicted parental knowledge of centre philosophy, while a trend was evident between parent knowledge of centre philosophy and the quality of the day-care environment (i.e. educator–child interaction), after accounting for site effects. Given that parent knowledge about their child’s day-care experience may sometimes be incomplete, more frequent and informative parent–educator communication is required, particularly about children’s learning and development.

‘I am closer to this place’—Space, place and notions of home in lived experiences of hospice day care

In the United Kingdom hospice day care services are the fastest growing yet least researched of the palliative care services. Using photo-elicitation interviews with 11 day care patients attending a specialist hospice day care setting we explored their experiences of the hospice as a place and how these changed over time.Informed by concepts from existential and humanistic geography we propose three existential modes of being – Drifting, Sheltering and Venturing – which characterize the patients’ lived experiences of the hospice. Our phenomenological analysis shows that the hospice is (re)constructed purposefully to achieve a sense of ‘home’ and ‘homelikeness’, creating an important therapeutic landscape for patients.

Partnership between Parents and Caregivers of Young Children in Full-time Daycare

This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of parents and caregivers regarding their partnership when young children are in daycare. Both the overall relationship and communication during daily contact in mornings and afternoons were studied. The sample consisted of 41 parents of children aged two years or younger (22 boys and 19 girls) who were in daycare, and 35 of the children's caregivers. Parents and caregivers were interviewed. Despite their high level of satisfaction with the overall relationship, a number of parents and caregivers said they did not have much specific knowledge of the child's experiences in daycare or at home, respectively. Furthermore, although most parents and caregivers expressed satisfaction with their daily communication, they felt that the quality of communication could be improved, particularly at the end of the day.