The Perceived Value of a Universal Early Learning Program: A Parent Perspective

Pan-Canadian efforts to support universal access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC) for families are underway. Focusing on a universally available ECEC program in Nova Scotia, this study explored the impact of the perceived value of this publicly funded ECEC program on parental decisions for enrollment. A thematic analysis of data from focus groups and interviews (n = 42 families represented) from two separate, but related studies, revealed themes (Ease of access, Communication, Supporting familiarity with school and Early learning) which provide insight on the value that parents place on a universal ECEC program and may help to inform other jurisdictions.

Negotiating the Transition: Parents' Experience of their Oldest Child's Transition to School

<p>This study follows the lived experience of parents within six families during their oldest child's transition from early childhood centre to school. The aim was to understand the transition to school from a parent perspective in order that early childhood and school staff can better support families through their child's transition. A successful transition to school is frequently associated with later success in schooling. Research into children's transition has often focused on the child as an individual, with adults acting as informants about children's experiences. Parents have the unique position as the adults who are part of each of the three microsystems of home, early childhood centre and school, and therefore have an essential role in communicating between the microsystems and supporting their child's transition. This qualitative constructionist study interviewed parents one month before and one month after their oldest child started school, followed by a parent focus group. Each of the families in the study had existing theories of development and transitions which they combined with the information they obtained about school to plan and enact strategies to support their child's transition to school. The parents viewed school as a community to which they wanted their child and themselves to belong. They had some expectations of their role as a school parent; this identity was affected by the discourses of parents and teachers which they held and encountered, and by their interactions with people at school. The essence of these parents' experience was of negotiating the transition to school. There were two aspects to this: fitting in to an existing school culture; and attempting to adapt some aspects of the transition experience for their child by discussion with the teacher. Good communication, including feeling their point of view had been heard and also understanding the teacher's point of view, helped these parents to feel effective and valued in their role as school parents.</p>

Negotiating the Transition: Parents' Experience of their Oldest Child's Transition to School

<p>This study follows the lived experience of parents within six families during their oldest child's transition from early childhood centre to school. The aim was to understand the transition to school from a parent perspective in order that early childhood and school staff can better support families through their child's transition. A successful transition to school is frequently associated with later success in schooling. Research into children's transition has often focused on the child as an individual, with adults acting as informants about children's experiences. Parents have the unique position as the adults who are part of each of the three microsystems of home, early childhood centre and school, and therefore have an essential role in communicating between the microsystems and supporting their child's transition. This qualitative constructionist study interviewed parents one month before and one month after their oldest child started school, followed by a parent focus group. Each of the families in the study had existing theories of development and transitions which they combined with the information they obtained about school to plan and enact strategies to support their child's transition to school. The parents viewed school as a community to which they wanted their child and themselves to belong. They had some expectations of their role as a school parent; this identity was affected by the discourses of parents and teachers which they held and encountered, and by their interactions with people at school. The essence of these parents' experience was of negotiating the transition to school. There were two aspects to this: fitting in to an existing school culture; and attempting to adapt some aspects of the transition experience for their child by discussion with the teacher. Good communication, including feeling their point of view had been heard and also understanding the teacher's point of view, helped these parents to feel effective and valued in their role as school parents.</p>

Health, Neighborhoods, and School Readiness from the Parent Perspective: A Qualitative Study of Contextual and Socio-Emotional Factors

The objective of this qualitative study was to address existing gaps in the literature by gathering parent perspectives on both health and school readiness in regard to neighborhood context, specifically parents’ perceived level of neighborhood safety and support, on physical health and the behavioral and cognitive domains of school readiness. Focus groups were conducted with a total of 28 parents or caregivers whose children attended Early Head Start/Head Start Centers or who received Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services in New Orleans, Louisiana during fall 2015. Parents discussed concepts of school readiness, neighborhood, the intersection between the two, and parental stress; however, few expressed a clear connection between their concerns about safety, their own stress, and their child’s readiness for school. Disparities in both health and school readiness exist between both racial and socioeconomic groups in the United States, and this study offers a unique and enhanced understanding of the impact of non-academic factors on the well-being and development of young children.

Symptom and Illness Experience for English and Spanish-Speaking Children with Advanced Cancer: Child and Parent Perspective

Understanding the symptom and illness experience of children with advanced cancer facilitates quality care; yet, obtaining this understanding is complicated by the child’s developmental level and physical and psychological health factors that affect communication. The purpose of this study was to describe the symptom and illness experience of English- and Spanish-speaking children with advanced cancer as described by the child and parent. We conducted hermeneutic phenomenological, descriptive, and interpretive interviews with eligible children and parents. The interdisciplinary research team analyzed transcripts hermeneutically until consensus on theme labels was reached. Four themes and associated subthemes were identified from the interviews of the 10 child–parent dyads: 1. symptoms disrupt life (path to diagnosis, life is disrupted), 2. isolation (lack of understanding, family separations/relationships), 3. protection, and 4. death is not for children. Children and parents readily described the impact symptoms and cancer treatment had on their lives and relationships. These findings underscore the salient aspects of daily life disrupted by cancer. With a deeper understanding of symptom burden and its interference, relationship and communication implications, and anticipatory grief, the treating team may better optimize care for children and their families living with advanced cancer.

Geography of Educational Institutions: Geospatial method in identifying Educational Deserts and Oasis-A Case study

<i>Many studies have pointed out that the learner’s choice in opting a programme or the institution of study is largely driven by the institution’s geographic proximity. By assigning a constant buffer radius (geographic reach) for every institution, proximity analysis demarcates regions of lower and higher number of institutional choices available for a learner belonging to that region. Such geographic regions of educational deserts and educational oasis have been identified with respect to institutions of arts and science undergraduate programmes in the state of Kerala. The understanding of the relationship between the geography and the density of educational intuitions in a region will assist the educational planners and administrators and particularly beneficial in learner or parent perspective</i>

Geography of Educational Institutions: Geospatial method in identifying Educational Deserts and Oasis-A Case study

<i>Many studies have pointed out that the learner’s choice in opting a programme or the institution of study is largely driven by the institution’s geographic proximity. By assigning a constant buffer radius (geographic reach) for every institution, proximity analysis demarcates regions of lower and higher number of institutional choices available for a learner belonging to that region. Such geographic regions of educational deserts and educational oasis have been identified with respect to institutions of arts and science undergraduate programmes in the state of Kerala. The understanding of the relationship between the geography and the density of educational intuitions in a region will assist the educational planners and administrators and particularly beneficial in learner or parent perspective</i>

Leveraging Grief: Involving Bereaved Parents in Pediatric Palliative Oncology Program Planning and Development

As pediatric palliative care (PPC) became a recognized medical specialty, our developing clinical PPC team longitudinally partnered with bereaved parents to understand the care that their children received as they transitioned towards end of life. Families developed Eight Priorities, shared within, to improve care for children with a poor chance of survival based on their experience of losing a child to cancer. In this paper, we delineate the top eight PPC needs from a parent perspective to offer multi-layered, individually tailored resources for patients and families. One of these Eight Priorities noted that bereavement care for the remaining family members is vital for healing after the death of a child to promote meaning making and resilience in bereaved families. Here, we outline the creation of a bereaved parent-designed bereavement support program as one example of how we have partnered with parents to fulfill their Eight Priorities for quality care.