Conditions of Caregiving, Provider Nurturance, and Quality Care
Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Early Child Development and Care
Volume
135
Publisher
Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
Publication Date
1997
First Page
21
Last Page
33
Abstract
Participants included 36 licensed family day care providers from six rural counties who had been providing care for a mean of 8.3 years (SO = 6.8 years). Fourteen of the providers had earned high school diplomas; twenty‐two had some post high school education. At least one child from an economically strained home (as measured by AFDC receipt) was present in 44.4% of the FDC homes. Dependent measures included: The Caregiver Interaction Scale (Arnett, 1989); Elaboration Scale from The Family Day Care Rating Scale (FDCRS, Harms and Clifford, 1989); FDCRS Total Score; and FDC program structure (e.g. frequency of enrichment activities, Kontos and Riessen, 1993). Professional self‐perceptions and perceptions of job significance were assessed by self‐report (adapted from Whitebook, Howes and Phillips, 1990). Provider nurturance was influenced by the presence of children from economically strained homes and by provider education levels. Positive provider self‐perceptions negatively influenced program structure. When provider self‐perceptions were high, but when day care clients were experiencing economic strain, program structure involved fewer enrichment activities such as field trips, painting, singing, etc.
Recommended Citation
Conditions of Caregiving, Provider Nurturance, and Quality Care. Ann M. Berghout Austin, Shelley L. Knudsen Lindauer, Ariel Rodriguez, Maria L. Norton, and Farol A. Groutage Nelson, Early Child Development and Care, 1997, 135, 21-33.
