Why our words matter: connecting with families where they are

Let’s look at Family perspectives – what they look for and care about Family connections – where families turn for advice

Family perspectives Safety a priority for all parents. As incomes go up, talk about quality increases. Child care is a serious choice because of safety, not so much learning. Families looking for many elements of quality, but don’t know about STARS. Infants/toddlers- want homey environment; preschoolers – want them ready for kindergarten Based on results from 11 focus groups, online survey and “Child Care Decisionmaking Literature Review” by ACF

Buzzwords Comfortable Scary Trust Gut reaction Violations Don’t want them watching TV all day Safe and secure Horror stories Babysitting Open-door policy Socialization Daycare Routines Flexibility As soon as I walked in the door Consistency Atmosphere Treat my child Not just playing Learning

Why this choice is so important “You want what’s best for your kids. You wanna feel fully safe and they’ll be fully secure.” “Your children are being cared for by another individual, so you want to have them to have the best care possible when you’re not there as the parent.” Families recognize the importance of choosing child care because of the safety of their child, not their child’s development and learning. It is an individual choice, each family wants something different.

Expectations “You know what you want and don’t want, you may not know how to look for it.” “I had no idea what I was looking for, but I knew when I was visiting daycares that I could tell when I wasn’t feeling right about it and it was like a gut.” Families have an emotional reaction to a program, but may not know what they want to look for in terms of quality.

Safety “You worry about as a parent that you are going to leave your child somewhere and they won’t be treated as they should…” “I can tell you, with the baby, not having an open door policy. No - huge red flag. I was gone.” Safety is priority one for all parents– if they don’t feel their children are safe and secure, it’s a definite dealbreaker. Families very aware of inspections, violations for child care

Teacher quality “When we met this teacher, we knew that gut reaction, that feeling that they would take care of our children the way that we would.” “Can actually watch them and I can see them actually teaching them things.” Families valued friendliness, flexibility, openness, continuity, connection with their child – didn’t mention teacher’s education level “The continuity was really important. I think everybody said that. Turnover versus the same person every day.”

Curriculum – learning environment “You want them to have different activities that they’re doing, different skills for the age that they are.” “The other was like a play daycare, this is actually a learning child care.” “And they actually do like school learning and stuff where the other day care they did like playtime learning, but it wasn’t actual teaching them.” “And the balance between fun activities and education. Like, am I paying for education, or am I paying for him to have a play date for ¾ of the day?” Families expecting early education to look like elementary education. Not seeing the learning value of play.

Observations on families’ understanding of learning and development What links to quality? Idea of curriculum Looking for evidence of progress, things the child has learned What’s missing? Understanding milestones Value of teacher education Children learn through play Learning happens from birth Daycare is not necessarily lower quality than a preschool Keystone STARS

How do we make the connection? Reinforce families’ role as experts on their child and making good decisions for their child. Recognize and acknowledge emotions with making early learning choices. Lead with what they care about. Reinforce the good, add in a bit more. Watch the language – literacy levels. Show and tell.

Safety Things families look for and talk about Choosing the right program is important because I am entrusting my child with another person – I want them to treat my child as I do. Things we want families to look for and talk about Yes, + what your child learns in child care will shape who he becomes.

Teacher quality Things families look for and talk about Teachers that are actually teaching my child things, not just letting them play all day. Things we want families to look for and talk about Not quite. Teachers that support my child’s active learning, even through play. Teachers that know how young children grow and provide activities that help my child follow his developmental path.

Curriculum/learning Things families look for and talk about A balance between fun activities and education. Things we want families to look for and talk about Not quite. Children are learning while they are having fun, even through play.

Keystone STARS When you are looking for child care, start your search with Keystone STARS. Keystone STARS rates child care programs from one to four STARS on things you care about (meets state regulations for safety, offers a kid-friendly atmosphere with good teachers that partner with you to help your child learn) so you can find the program that feels right for your family. Keystone STARS is administered by the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning.

Questions to think about How do families see you and your program? Do you talk about what they care about? When you show families your program, what are you telling them? Are you taking advantage of teachable moments?

Family connections Families talk to family and friends first Will talk to other trusted sources (CCIS agencies, pediatricians) Many use social media almost every day

Families in your program can be excellent ambassadors for quality early learning!

Ways to help families become great ambassadors Help them talk the talk Encourage families to invite a friend to program events Collect and publish family stories Families can submit stories and photos to the Pennsylvania’s Promise for Children website for publication Social media is like virtual word of mouth

Additional resources Kelly Swanson, , Karen Seeber, ,