Quality In Home Child Care
Quality in Home Child Care… It Cannot Be Underestimated
We've all heard how important the early years are in the overall health, development and well-being of a child's life. And we shudder when we hear a news report that an infant has died from being shaken by a home child care practitioner or that 12 children were found being cared for all at the same time by one home child care practitioner in her home. There is a huge price to be paid for the child, the parents and the overall child care system when the quality of the child care arrangement is in question.
Research by Doherty, Lero, Goelman, Tougas, LaGrange outlined in the national study "You Bet I Care! Caring and Learning Environments: Quality in Regulated Family Child Care Across Canada" (2000) and Kyle in the report, "Quality in Home Child Care Settings: A Critical Review of Current Theory and Research" has identified key factors that contribute to a higher provision of quality in home child care. Here is a broad overview of their findings.
Are You Providing Home Child Care for the Right Reasons?
The findings suggest that a home child care practitioner's decision to consciously provide home-based child care as his/her career choice contributes to the level of quality of child care being provided to children in his/her care.
This seems to be a logical conclusion that certainly makes sense and can make a whole lot of difference. If you love what you do, you will put your best foot forward. It will be important to you to do a good job and likely you will do everything and anything in your power to make it work.
Do You Believe in Lifelong Learning?
Training and, specifically, training in the area of family home child care appears to be a predictor of the quality of child care provided by home child care practitioners. Of course, there are many levels of training from certificate and correspondence courses offered by community colleges to workshops and seminars available by community agencies.
Canada on the whole, unfortunately, is not as well developed in family home child care training as our neighbouring nation. In many U.S. states, home child care practitioners are required to participate in mandatory training courses. Formal accreditation programs are available and incentives are offered to home child care practitioners who complete a specific number of hours of training on an annual basis.
Are You a Community Player?
Home child care practitioners who belong to a networking group and access support services that are available in the community tend to provide higher quality child care. Support services in home child care include licensed home child care agencies, Ontario Early Years Centres (OEYCs), agencies that offer training, information, resources and supports such as Home Child Care Support Services and Caregiver Networking Support Groups.
Typically, home child care practitioners can feel somewhat isolated when providing home-based child care. Connecting with others who offer a similar service or whose job it is to support you in your profession can be like a breath of fresh air. Using others as a sounding board to discuss problems, suggestions and ideas is an effective way of both helping and learning from others.
Gaining Respect in your Profession
One of the areas that may seem a bit out of an individual home child care practitioner's realm of control is how others in the community perceive the profession. Government support and funding, legislation, the level of community supports available, participation in community planning processes, as well as support from your family, friends and neighbours also influence the quality of child care provided.
But do not feel discouraged. Even small inroads to promote home-based child care as a career choice can make a difference. So the next time someone raises their eyebrows when you explain what you do for a living - don't lose your cool, take a deep breath and give them your best sales pitch! The first six years of a child's life is critically important to his/her future health and development. Every quality moment you spend with a child makes a difference in that child's life and every life that child touches in the future. Who knows - you may be helping the next Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King or Margaret Atwood!
Characteristics of Home Child Care Practitioners Associated with Quality in Home-Based Child Care
- Intentionality - the home child care practitioner is genuinely interested in working with children and families.
- Family is supportive to home child care practitioner offering home-based child care.
- Home child care practitioner is satisfied with her work.
- Home child care practitioner is committed to working with parents to provide quality child care.
- Home child care practitioner seeks the support of other practitioners and community agencies.
- Home child care practitioner sees herself as a business owner - takes a professional approach to operating her business.
- Home child care practitioner offers a balanced curriculum for children in her care.
- Home child care practitioner is willing to attend training opportunities to expand her knowledge and skills in working with children and families.
- Home child care practitioner is an advocate for her chosen profession and/or makes a contribution to the community (i.e.: is a mentor for other home child care practitioners, volunteers for a good cause, etc.)
- Home child care practitioner recognizes the importance of balancing her work, family and personal life - she recognizes the value in taking time for herself!