PARENTS' VIEWS ABOUT CENTER-BASED CHILD CARE: THEIR PREFERENCES, EXPECTATIONS AND SATISFACTIONS

This research investigates parents' reasons to switch from home-based to center-based child care as well as their reasons to choose the current center-based child care. It also examines aspects of current center-based child care that parents like and expect to be improved. A total of 19 parents were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. All parents indicated that their children had been in home-based child care, cared by a relative or non-relative adult, until they started using the current center-based care. Parents expressed that the most important reasons for them to switch the center-based care were to make sure that their children are happy and socialized and get better early childhood education. They preferred the current center-based care because it is located conveniently, reliable, affordable, and/or suggested by others. Parents liked that teachers are available to communicate about their children, and they approach to their children with love and care. They also liked the variety of social and educational activities and flexibility of participating in those activities. Parents desired their children to have more individualized education and more physical activities, the center to be more home-like, and to receive more information about their children's daily activities