Date of Award

12-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Deborah Schreiber

Second Advisor

Douglas DeVore

Third Advisor

Nicholas Richter

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore family child care (FCC) provider perspectives of barriers to obtain resources and support services for quality FCC outcomes. Methodology: This study used a phenomenological qualitative research method to identify and describe barriers that hinder FCC providers from obtaining resources and support for quality outcomes. Four open-ended and semistructured interview questions were administered to 12 participants online via the Zoom platform. This study analyzed data across three categories of barriers: (a) situational, (b) dispositional, and (c) institutional. Results of analysis guided the narrative by identifying and prioritizing themes. The population for the study included FCC providers who were sole proprietors operating a FCC home for a minimum of 2 years in San Diego County and who were registered members to the local FCC association. Findings: The findings indicated that FCC providers experienced situational, institutional, and dispositional barriers to obtain resources and support services for quality child care outcomes. The interviews yielded 11 primary themes, 3 major findings, and 3 unexpected findings. Conclusion: It was concluded that FCC providers perceived many barriers to obtaining resources and support services for quality child care outcomes, including time management, lack of resource information, location of trainings/services, inequities based on type of organization (in-home FCC provider versus child care center), lack of FCC provider self-confidence, and the process to qualify for funding. Recommendations: The researcher recommends that state and local leaders, child care resource and referral agencies, and child care networks, increase contact and interaction with FCCs to better understand their unique needs. This includes creating initiatives to ensure FCC provider access and sustained maintenance of support services for quality child care outcomes. In addition, state and local leaders must make the applications for resources and support services more appliable to FCC providers. It is recommended that referral agencies and child care networks offer training on the application process and alleviate some time management issues by holding trainings closer to the FCC providers’ homes.

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