Family Day Care Research Articles

Nutrition and physical activity practices in family day care: A cross-sectional survey of Australian family day care educators.

Munch & Move is a New South Wales (NSW) Ministry of Health program offering family day care (FDC) educators training to support children's healthy behaviours. This study examined educators' nutrition, physical activity and screen time practices and relationships between Munch & Move training and professional development (PD) on these practices. NSW FDC educators (n = 186) completed an online survey from July 2020-June 2021. Differences between groups based on Munch & Move training (trained; not trained) and PD (those who completed PD ≥1 time per year; those who completed PD <1 time per year or never) were tested using bivariate analyses. A significantly higher proportion of educators trained in Munch & Move offered information to families regarding food serving sizes, nutrition policies, and children's physical activity and screen time. Over one-third in both groups did not meet the guideline of no screen time for children under 2 years old. Compared with those who completed PD ≥1 time per year, a significantly higher proportion of educators who completed PD <1 time per year or never did not provide families with nutrition guidelines or resources. Educators trained in Munch & Move, and those who completed PD more frequently, demonstrated better nutrition, physical activity and screen time practices in several areas. SO WHAT?: This study demonstrated benefits of the Munch & Move program, implemented with support from Local Health District health promotion officers, and highlighted key areas for improvement in healthy practices in FDC.

Parents, Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth at Your Childcare Center?

Historically, mothers were the primary caregiver and were expected to stay at home to care for their child. In today’s society, there is an increasing trend of dual-earner families where both individuals contribute to the household income. This created a demand for childcare services such as preschools, childcare centers, and family daycare homes. Due to the high demand, a majority of parents had difficulty obtaining childcare services and it brought into question whether parents are still able to fully assess each available childcare centers’ quality and cost, or if they are forced to select any center with available space. Additionally, considering its high demand, it’s uncertain whether centers are still providing high quality care at their price points. This study investigated if the cost of childcare at licensed childcare facilities in cities and districts under the jurisdiction of Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) align with their structural qualities of care.

Macro-structural predictors of Australian family day care quality.

This study explores the predictive power of macro-structural characteristics on quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) outcomes of Family Day Care (FDC) services in Australia. The dataset consisted of 441 FDC National Quality Standard (NQS) ratings from all Australian states and territories, with overall ratings of Exceeding NQS, Meeting NQS, Working Towards NQS, or Significant Improvement Required. Multinomial logistic regressions confirmed that management type, community socioeconomic status (SES), level of urbanization, and government jurisdiction explained 6.9 to 19.3% of the variation in QRIS outcomes. Results indicated that lower FDC NQS ratings were more likely for (1) private for-profit vs. not-for-profit; (2) low-SES vs. high-SES area; and (3) regional or remote area vs. metropolitan. State/territory jurisdiction also influenced NQS ratings. These findings imply the need for policy attention to inequalities in FDC quality associated with systemic and organizational differences. Greater effort is needed to promote equality and equity in FDC services.

Family day care educators’ ability to support children’s mental wellbeing and the impact of COVID-19

The childcare setting is a critical environment to observe, and also influence, children’s mental wellbeing. However, little research has examined the experiences and ability of Australian family day care (FDC) educators in supporting children’s mental wellbeing. The present study aimed to explore how training, COVID-19, and partnerships influence FDC educators’ ability to promote children’s mental wellbeing. Seven FDC educators engaged in semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis identified six themes. These were (1) more than a babysitter; (2) experience is the best teacher; (3) close and supportive relationships, which included a sense of exile as a subordinate theme; (4) it takes a village to raise a child; (5) fear and uncertainty; and (6) business and relational difficulties. The research suggests that support for FDC educators through adequate training and strong partnerships more effectively promotes children’s mental wellbeing.

The dialectical relation of real and digital Conceptual PlayWorlds in Family Day Care

ABSTRACT Play acts as the source of children’s development in the preschool period. Yet, the global pandemic has changed children’s play conditions in ways that are not yet fully understood. With movement restrictions, families have struggled to find ways of bringing children together for play. We studied how family day care (FDC) educators across a remote region of Australia used a digital platform to collectively play in a Conceptual PlayWorld. The central question was: How do the dialectical digital and real world conditions of play create developmental opportunities for children? To answer this, we researched how family day care educators, their leaders (n = 7) and the children (n = 38) from their respective FDC homes, simultaneously played at home and remotely using a zoom platform with a storyteller-player. 797.46 min of digital data were generated and analysed using the Vygotskian conception of the dialectical relation between rudimentary/real and ideal/mature forms of play. In drawing on previous cultural-historical theorisations of digital play, this paper discusses the new developmental conditions created in this real world and virtual context of FDC. We introduce new concepts for explaining the developmental processes and outcomes for these children.

Assessment of Feeding Practices and Mealtime Environments in Australian Family Daycare Services

ObjectiveAssess educators’ feeding practices and mealtime environments in family daycare services and examine the factors associated with educators’ feeding practices and mealtime environments. MethodsCross-sectional observational study of family daycare services (n = 33) in Australia. Best practices for mealtime environments and educator feeding practices were assessed during each mealtime using the Environment Policy Assessment and Observation instrument. Correlates assessed via survey included: socioeconomic status, main language spoken at home, early childhood career experience, and nutrition professional development. Descriptive statistics and independent t tests were calculated. ResultsEducators typically had higher scores, indicating better practices, for (the absence of) negative practices compared with positive practices. The only positive practice meeting best-practice standards was educators sitting with children during the meal. There were no significant correlations for educators’ feeding practices or mealtime environment. Conclusions and ImplicationsEducators may benefit from professional development targeting positive feeding practices and supportive mealtime environments.

Australian family day care educators’ experiences of supporting children’s mental health, and their own mental health and wellbeing

This mixed-methods study explored (1) family day care (FDC) educators’ confidence and capability to support children’s mental health, and (2) assessed their own mental health and wellbeing. Descriptive analysis of the survey ( n = 144) highlighted that most participants were in the normal range for mental health and wellbeing; however, identifying mental ill-health in children, access to resources and awareness of support services were areas where participants were less likely to feel confident or capable. In the interviews ( n = 14), three themes were identified in the interviews for the first research question (including the central role of the FDC educator, lack of training and resources and limited professional support) and three themes were identified for the second research question (the importance of mental health for educators, being a small business owner and connecting with other educators). The results highlighted a need for additional support and resources for educators specifically targeting the mental health and wellbeing of children.

Health and Safety in a Family Child Care Network: An Analysis of Violation Data of Routine, Full Unannounced Inspections.

To analyze how engagement with a staffed family child network is associated with compliance on health and safety regulations among family day care (FDC) homes. Publically available data on health and safety inspection violations on FDC homes were merged with engagement data from a staffed family child network. Descriptive analysis, logistic regression, and latent class analysis were used. Network FDC homes, compared to non-network FDC homes, were less likely to have health and safety violations in the areas of Child/Family/Staff Documentation (43.1% vs. 53.6%, p = 0.001) and Indoor Safety (36.0% vs. 42.6%, p = .041). Controlling for area median income and for decades since obtaining license, network FDC homes had fewer violations, fewer violation categories, and less variety of violation categories. Additionally, FDC homes which were not engaged with the staffed family child network but were in the city or town in which the network offered services, performed better compared to FDC homes in cities or towns without network resources. The better compliance among network FDC homes and among FDC homes in cities and towns where the network offers services, suggests that the network is having positive effects on health and safety quality in FDC homes. A staffed child care network may be a means to improve child care quality and may be a means of improving educational and health outcomes for children.

A Study of the Food Environment at Australian Family Day Care.

Overweight and obesity in childhood is a significant public health issue. Family day care (FDC) offers a setting where good eating habits can be nurtured in young children, yet often the food environment is unhealthy. This study aims to determine FDC educators’ knowledge and confidence about nutrition and the barriers and enablers to supporting healthy food environments. Australian FDC educators were recruited to a mixed methods study using self-administered e-surveys and qualitative in-depth interviews. The survey data (n = 188) revealed good knowledge about sugary foods, but poor knowledge of protein-rich foods. Nutrition knowledge was not associated with confidence to make nutrition recommendations. Interviews (n = 9) revealed parents’ dietary choices and educators’ personal beliefs as barriers to healthy food environments, although importantly, the FDC educator role was identified as being pivotal in supporting the health and wellbeing of children and their families. This study highlights that FDC-specific nutrition education and support is vital to ensure children at FDC and their families are exposed to healthy food environments. Research to investigate specific avenues for nutrition education promotion programs specifically designed to support the unique role played by FDC educators is needed, in order to support the long-term health and welfare of the next generation of Australians.

Associations Between Early Childcare Environment and Different Aspects of Adulthood Sociability: The 32-Year Prospective Young Finns Study

Sociability is a widely studied trait that has been linked both with individual well- and ill-being. Although early childcare has been shown to affect social competence in children, its role in the development of different aspects of adulthood sociability is poorly understood. Using a longitudinal population-based sample (N = 464), this study investigated whether childcare arrangements at ages 3 or 6 are associated with self-reported adulthood sociability at ages 20 to 35 years. A total of five aspects of sociability were measured using three well-established personality inventories (EAS, NEO-FFI, and TCI). Multilevel modeling was applied to examine the association between early care and adulthood sociability, adjusting for several sources of random variation (between-individual variance, within-individual variance between measurement times, variance between used sociability indicators, and error variance that cannot be attributed to the previously mentioned) and potential confounders (disruptive behavior in childhood, parental socio-economic status, parent–child relationship quality, maternal age, and the number of children in the family). Based on our results, in comparison to home care, family daycare and center-based daycare at age 3 and center-based daycare at age 6 were associated with higher sociability later in life. The association was strongest for aspects of sociability that emphasize the willingness to be surrounded by other people and to be attached to them. In other words, characteristics of early care may contribute uniquely to the development of these aspects of sociability with effects that persist into adult life.

Practices of doing quality. An analytical-descriptive view of quality in counseling in the context of family day care

Der Beitrag illustriert aus einer nicht-evaluativen Perspektive die gegenstandstheoretische Konzeptualisierung des Qualitätsbegriffs, wie sie im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts „Qualitätsbedingungen von Fachberatung Kindertagespflege“ (QualFa) entwickelt wurde. Unter Rückgriff auf die Analyse von beobachtetem Beratungshandeln in der zugrundeliegenden qualitativ-explorativen Studie wird im vorliegenden Beitrag exemplarisch dargestellt, wie Fachberatung für Kindertagespflege Qualität praktisch realisiert, wobei Qualität analytisch als eine lokale Interpretationsleistung des „offiziellen Programms“ gefasst wird, die die Bedingungen und Schwerpunktsetzungen der jeweiligen Fachberatungsstelle und ihrer Akteure im Blick haben muss.

The effects of the transition from home-based childcare to childcare centers on children’s health and development in Colombia

Colombia’s national early childhood strategy launched in 2011 aimed at improving the quality of childcare services offered to socio-economically vulnerable children, and included the possibility that children and their childcare providers could transfer from non-parental family daycare units to large childcare centers in urban areas. This study seeks to understand whether the offer to transfer and the actual transfer from one program to the other had an impact on child cognitive and socioemotional development, and nutrition, using a cluster-randomized control trial with a sample of 2767 children between the ages of 6 and 60 months located in 14 cities in Colombia. The results indicate a negative effect of this initiative on cognitive development, a positive effect on nutrition, and no statistically significant effect of the intervention on socioemotional development. We also explored the extent to which these impacts might be explained by differences in the quality of both services during the transition, and report that quality indicators are low in both programs but are significantly worse in centers compared to community nurseries.

Daycare attendance and respiratory tract infections: a prospective birth cohort study

ObjectiveWe explored the burden of respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in young children with regard to day-care initiation.DesignLongitudinal prospective birth cohort study.Setting and methodsWe recruited 1827 children for follow-up until the...

The professionalisation of family day care in Flanders, France and Germany

ABSTRACTIn several countries, childminders grew in times of economic austerity and growing awareness of the economic function of childcare, as they were legitimised by a ‘home as heaven’ ideology and low costs. As a result, childminders have long been regarded as the ‘Cinderellas’ of childcare. Three decades later, scholars and policymakers agree on the importance of the educational function of childcare and thus on the importance of professional qualifications during the same time that these countries face the attrition of an entire generation of childminders. This gives rise to both quantitative and qualitative changes and raises the need to reconceptualise family day care (FDC). However, literature on this topic is scarce and information on non-English speaking countries is even more so. We explored productive policies and practices of onthaalouders (Flanders), assistantes maternelles (France) and Tagesmütter (Germany) in order to contribute to the small but increasing body of research in this field. This study shows that while the need for childcare workers is increasing, attrition of childminders might hamper the ambition to realise childcare and thus the attractiveness of the childminding profession requires an upgrade. New and hybrid forms of conjunction of centre-based and FDC challenge stereotypes about substitute mothering and offer possibilities to reconceptualise the childcare profession. However, they do not necessarily change the subordinate position of childminders in the early childhood education and care (ECEC) field.

Child-centred educational practice in different early education settings: Associations with professionals’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and professional background

The present study investigated whether teacher beliefs (self-efficacy and attitudes) mediate the impact of professional background on child-centred educational practice. We specifically investigated whether teacher beliefs related to self (self-efficacy) are a stronger predictor of educational practice than teacher beliefs related to teaching approach (attitudes). A total of 265 professionals from different early education and care settings (i.e., centre-based daycare, family-based daycare, and educational playgroups) in Switzerland participated in the study. A self-report questionnaire was developed to assess professionals’ self-efficacy, attitudes and educational practice in terms of child-centredness. The results confirm the factorial validity of the questionnaire. Self-efficacy positively predicted educational practice, while professionals’ attitudes were not associated with educational practice. Further, the positive effect of domain-specific knowledge on educational practice was mediated by self-efficacy. Finally, family daycare providers reported lower self-efficacy and lower levels of child-centred educational practice than other professionals. The present study emphasises the role of professionals’ self-efficacy in the context of delivering high-quality childcare and child-centred education in early childhood. The results suggest that promoting knowledge of teaching approaches may be a promising way to promote early childhood educators’ child-centred educational practice through increasing their self-efficacy.

Associations between Australian Early Childhood Educators' Mental Health and Working Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Study

EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION and care quality relies on educator capacity; however, working conditions may compromise educators' mental health. This study examines associations between family day care (FDC) educators' mental health and working conditions to inform workplace mental health promotion. Three hundred and sixty-six FDC educators completed an online or written survey. In addition to this, regression analyses were used to examine relationships between educator mental health and working conditions. Although many FDC educators had low psychological distress and moderate mental wellbeing, 41.7 per cent reported psychological distress. Most educators' ‘efforts’ and ‘rewards’ were unbalanced (effort–reward imbalance [ERI] ratio) and showed high ‘overcommitment’ to work. Effort and overcommitment were significantly related to increased odds of psychological distress, whereas social support was associated with higher mental wellbeing. The ERI ratio had the strongest associations with educator psychological distress and mental wellbeing. As many working conditions associated with educator mental health are modifiable, this study highlights opportunities for workplace mental health promotion in FDC.

Family day care educators as a source of child car safety information for parents

Family day care (FDC) is a child care model used internationally where children are cared for in the homes of educators. FDC educators have regular contact with families and transport children in their care in their own vehicles. The potential of using child care services as a delivery point for information on optimal child car safety practices has previously been established. However, all previous work has focused on formal early childhood education centers. This study examines child restraint practices and knowledge among FDC educators, and the degree to which these services are being used to provide child restraint information to parents, using a descriptive cross-sectional study design. FDC educators (n = 82) and families (n = 142) completed surveys on child restraint knowledge and practices. Educators reported that 96% of children in their care had been transported in vehicles while attending FDC. While 91% said they knew the law regarding child restraint use only 84% reported complying with this legislation for the children in their care at all times. While 70% reported providing child restraint advice to parents and 88% reported receiving training on child restraints, this training appeared uncoordinated and inconsistent among respondents. Only 9% of families using FDC reported their FDC educator as a child restraint information source. A more structured approach to training and support of FDC services is required to ensure consistent and effective information exchange with parents. While FDC educators are a potential health promotion delivery point about child restraint use, this potential is currently being underutilized.

어린이집 운영의 공공성에 영향을 미치는 요인

본 연구의 목적은 어린이집 유형별 공공성 수준 차이를 살펴보고, 공공성에 영향을 미치는 어린이집 특성을 알아보는 데 있다. 구체적으로, 어린이집 운영의 공공성 구성요소별 수준을 파악하기 위한 문항을 개발하고, 이를 통해 어린이집 유형별 차이를 살펴보았으며, 어린이집 운영의 공공성에 영향을 미치는 요인을 규명해 보고자 하였다. 연구대상은 어린이집 총 511개소로, 국공립어린이집 108개소, 법인어린이집 110개소, 민간어린이집 101개소, 가정어린이집 80개소, 공공형어린이집 121개소이다. 자료 분석을 위하여 빈도, 백분율, 평균, 표준편차, F검증, Duncan 사후검증, 중다회귀분석을 실시하였다. 연구결과는 첫째, 국공립어린이집이 보편성, 참여성, 투명성이 가장 높고, 공공형어린이집은 공개성이 가장 높았다. 반면에 민간과 가정 어린이집은 모든 공공성 구성요소에서 가장 낮은 수준을 나타내었다. 둘째, 어린이집 운영의 공공성 구성요소, 즉 보편성은 국공립어린이집과 대도시나 중소도시에 소재할수록 높았고, 공개성은 반대로 법인, 민간, 가정 어린이집일수록 낮았으며, 투명성과 참여성은 국공립과 법인 어린이이며, 정원충족률이 높을수록 높았다. 어린이집에 대한 지원 확대와 이에 대한 정부의 관리감독이 수반되며, 어린이집 운영의 공공성 확보를 이룰 수 있음을 시사하였다. The purpose of this study is to analyze publicness by the types of childcare centers, and factors related to publicness in the operation of childcare centers. The subjects of this study were 511 childcare centers. Data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, F-test, Duncan's post hoc test, and regression. The findings of the study were: First, Among childcare centers, Public childcare centers were high in universality, transparency and participation. But family daycare homes and private centers were low in universality, transparency, participation, and openness. Second, public childcare centers, family daycare homes, private childcare centers, major city and medium-sized cities affected universality in the operation of childcare centers. Public childcare centers, social welfare foundation childcare centers, family daycare homes, private childcare centers and proportion of capacity affected transparency in the operation of childcare centers. Public childcare centers, family daycare homes, private childcare centers and proportion of capacity affected participation in the operation of childcare centers. Government able to accomplish publicness in the operation of childcare centers if it would strengthen management process and expanded financial for childcare centers.

Infants, Family Day Care and the Politics of Belonging

Belonging has long been conceptualised as a fundamental human need, essential for the good health of individuals and communities. In relation to young children, belonging may be linked to their developing sense of identity, as well as the way they perceive and respond to others. Belonging is emerging as an important aspect of contemporary early childhood education and care (ECEC) curriculum such as Te Whāriki from New Zealand and Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF). There is the potential for belonging to become a romanticised, simplistic and taken for granted notion within ECEC. Following Sumsion and Wong’s (Contemp Issues Early Child 12:28–45, 2011) call for belonging to be taken up in critical and reflective ways in ECEC, and Peers and Fleer’s (Educ Philos Theory, doi:10.1080/00131857.2013.781495, 2013) concerns regarding the inadequacy of everyday understandings of belonging to the full realisation of the intent of the EYLF, this paper is an attempt to begin problematizing the notion of belonging in early childhood, particularly in relation to infants in family day care (FDC). Conceptualisations of belonging across disciplines are discussed, with particular attention to the notions of a sense of belonging and the politics of belonging. Particular aspects of FDC that may be important to consider in relation to belonging are drawn out, namely its purported home- and family-like nature. Finally, in relation to infants, we argue that any discussion of infants’ belonging in ECEC must include the peer group and the active role that infants may play in the politics of belonging.

Infants in Family Day Care: Stories of Smooth and Striated Space

Family day care (FDC) is child care for a small group of children that occurs in the educator's home. Despite the important role it plays in the international early childhood education and care landscape, particularly for children under three years of age, FDC is currently under-researched. This article examines research about infants (under 19 months of age) in FDC from the past 20 years, using Deleuze and Guattari's concepts of smooth and striated space. These concepts open possibilities for moving beyond well-worn binaries such as qualitative/quantitative, researcher/researched, adult/infant and instead consider the methodological principles and theoretical perspectives that influence why particular methods are chosen, how they are used, and the research stories that result. The authors argue that the emerging FDC research space may be conceptualised as a smooth space, with greater powers of deterritorialisation than the striated, affording lines of flight towards new understandings about the lives of infants in FDC.