DOCUMENT RESUME ED 409 102 PS 025 558 AUTHOR Lee-Blickstead, Martha Enhancing the Family Support Component of a Family Day Care TITLE Agency. PUB DATE 96 140p.; Practicum report, Nova Southeastern University. NOTE PUB TYPE Practicum Papers (043) Dissertations/Theses EDRS PRICE MF°1/PC06 Plus Postage. Child Caregivers; *Day Care Centers; Delivery Systems; Early DESCRIPTORS Childhood Education; *Family Day Care; *Family School Relationship; Foreign Countries; Organizational Change; Parent Participation; Parent School Relationship; Parent Teacher Cooperation; Skill Development; *Staff Development; Theory Practice Relationship; Training Methods; Training Objectives IDENTIFIERS Canada; *Family Day Care Providers; *Family Support ABSTRACT A practicum at a licensed, non-profit family day care agency in Canada serving over 4,000 children and their families was designed to assist in clarifying the meaning of family support and family-centered child care. The practicum was developed to assist the agency in moving towards operationalizing its commitment to provide optimal family support to families receiving its day care. Interviews with staff had confirmed that there was confusion regarding the definition and application of family support. The solution strategy included intensive work on a short-term basis with two agency staff groups. The development of a working knowledge of family support philosophy, principles, practices, and approaches was emphasized. There was also work to develop family support "champions" who were expected to provide leadership to their colleagues. A pretest-posttest evaluation showed that the practicum intervention effectively increased participants' understanding of specific family support concepts. The training appeared to build a foundation to support future strategies to enhance family-centered practice. A particularly significant outcome of the practicum was the development of a discussion paper, "Moving towards Family-Centered Day Care." (Six appendices present highlights of training sessions, the discussion paper on family-centered child care, best practices, a case study, evaluation forms, and feedback forms. Contains 40 references.) (SD) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATOR Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) )(This document has been reproduced ell received from the person or orgamzation originating R. Minor changes have been made to *morose reproduction duality Points of view or opinions stated in this doCu ment do not necessarily represent official OERI posaton or policy Enhancing the Family Support Component of a Family Day Care Agency by Martha Lee-Blickstead Cohort 1F A Practicum Report Presented to the Master's Programs in Life Span Care and Administration in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Nova Southeastern University 1996 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY Lee ?Acicsieotei - TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) BEST' COPY AVAILABLE , 2 Page 2 Authorship Statement I hereby testify that this paper and the work it reports are entirely my own. Where it has been necessary to draw from the work of others, published or unpublished, I have acknowledged such work in accordance with accepted scholarly and editorial practice. I give testimony freely, out of respect for the scholarship of other workers in the field and in the hope that my own work, presented here, will earn similar respect. Date Signature of Student 3 Page 3 ABSTRACT Enhancing the Family Support Component of a Family Day Care Agency. Lee-Blickstead, Martha, 1996: Practicum Report, Nova Southeastern University, Master's in Life Span Care and Administration. Descriptors: Early Childhood Education/Family Support Family Day Care Family-Centered Child Care Early Childhood Education/Training Parent Involvement Delivery Systems Child Caregivers Theory Practice Relationship Family/School Relationships Parent/Staff Relationships Organizational Change This practicum took place in a licensed, non-profit family day care agency that provides child care to 4000 children and their families. The mission states that the agency provides quality child care programs as well as family support services. During the practicum proposal, interviews were conducted with over 25 staff and focused on the family support component of the agency's service. Interviews confirmed that there was confusion regarding the definition and application of family support. The practicum strategy was designed to assist the agency in clarifying the meaning of family support and family-centered child care. It was also developed to assist the family day care agency in taking its first steps towards 'operationalizing' its commitment to provide optimal family support to families who are currently receiving family day care. The solution strategy involved intensive work on a short-term basis with two agency staff groups. The development of a working knowledge of family support philosophy, principles, practices and approaches was emphasized A pretest/ posttest evaluation confirmed that the practicum intervention effectively increased participants understanding of specific family support concepts. This training built a foundation to support future strategies to enhance family-centered practice. The practicum also worked to develop Page 4 family support 'champions' who were expected to provide leadership to their colleagues. One significant outcome of this project was the development of the discussion paper, This practicum took place in a political 'Moving Towards Family-Centered Child Care'. environment that promotes economic restraint and creates uncertainty for those working in the child care sector as well as families receiving child care services. 5 Page 5 Table of Contents Chapter Page Introduction and Background 6 I. 6 The setting in which the problem occurs The student's role in the setting 9 The Problem II. 11 Problem statement 11 Analysis of the problem 13 Documentation of the problem 32 44 Goals and Objectives III. 47 Solution Strategy IV. 47 Review of existing programs, models, and approaches Family support training models 51 Description of solution strategy 56 67 Strategy Employed - Action Taken and Results V. 97 Conclusion - Implications and Recommendations VI. References 109 Appendices A Highlights of Topics Covered in the Practicum Workshops 114 and Training Sessions B Discussion Pc. r: Moving Towards Family-Centered Child Care 119 C In Search of Best Practices 125 D One Success Story: A Case Study 130 Getting Involved with Family Support - Pretest/ Posttest Evaluation Forms 132 E Exploring Family Support - Weekly Feedback Forms 136 F 6 Page Chapter I Introduction and Background In Chapter I, the history of the agency in which the practicum problem occurs is described. This history highlights the shifts that have occurred in the agency's philosophy and service approach in its work with children and their families over 145 years. In addition, the political realities of the mid-nineties and their potential impact on the agency's service is discussed. My role in the practicum setting is also presented. The setting in which the problem occurs The agency in which the practicum takes place is a licensed, non-profit charitable organization that has been helping children and their families since 1851. Its history exemplifies the evolution of social services in Ontario, Canada. Originally, the agency was founded as a Protestant Orphan's home which provided care, protection and education for In the late twenties, the community expressed an interest in 'underprivileged' children. locating care for children in more home-like environments. The agency responded by introducing foster care programs while continuing to operate a residential program for component. This began a new era with a movement away from institutionalized care young, healthy children. The agency's foster care program flourished from the 1930's to During this period, the profession of social work also became established and 1950's. introduced new approaches for working with 'needy' families. The principles of social delivery in this work became incorporated into the philosophy and approach to servi: setting. Another philosophical and programmatic shift took place in the 1960s. There was an increased emphasis on keeping children in their own homes with the assistance of 7 Page 7 community supports. This agency recognized that many families needed short-term day growing care without a residential component. They also recognized that there was a demand for child care services as more mothers returned to work outside the home. In 1966, a family day care program was piloted by this agency. A casework approach was adopted based on the historical patterns of delivering service in foster care. This approach allowed the agency to introduce a new service while using existing staff expertise. During the early development of the family day care program, professional staff resources were available to provide intensive family counseling and practical support for parents in addition to family day care for young children. Case loads were relatively small. "This traditional casework model assumed that a high standard of home care for children could be achieved through a thorough initial assessment of providers and families, careful placement of children, and ongoing individual contacts with providers and parents . ." . (Kyle, 1993, p. 220). The agency has continued to increase the number of families served by the family day care program. The agency broadened its service to center-based child care in the late 1980's. It has also expanded its child care programs across a large, Metropolitan area. Hiring practices have been adjusted away from a social work emphasis to reflect the need for enhanced expertise in Early Childhood Education. The agency maintains a similar Sensitive matching of families delivery approach for family day care in the mid-nineties. and caregivers and ongoing support and supervision of caregivers continued to be stressed at the beginning of the practicum work. Unfortunately, as funding is reduced, case loads increase in size and staff resources for family support are reduced. Currently, this agency provides child care for more than 4000 children in family Page 8 day care programs and in 21 child care centers. This includes family day care services for in a large Metropolitan area with more than 2300 children across ten political jurisdictions for infants, toddlers, a network of more than 600 caregivers. This service is provided preschool and school age children. Families who receive child care are diverse and include and religious backgrounds. The a range of socioeconomic, racial, linguistic, cultural composition of families also represents the many emerging characteristics of the nineties. Many families pay the full fee for their child care. Regional governments provide fee assistance for some low income families. (There is a two year waiting list for families who need financial assistance.) Four managers and thirty-one child care coordinators work to this agency ensure that families receive quality family day care for their children. In 1996, launched a new campaign to raise its profile in the communities it serves. The agency selected a motto, "Next to you, we care the most," to reflect the commitment to build close partnerships with those families who choose to enroll in their programs. In 1996, the Ontario provincial government is working aggressively to reduce the budget deficit and is reemphasizing the philosophy that families must function independently. This agency experiences the challenges faced by many social service organizations throughout North America in the mid-nineties. The agency anticipates cutbacks in government funding as well as a restructuring of the child care delivery system in Ontario. This has created significant uncertainty for the child care sector as well as the families who currently receive child care. Reduced financial and program support for low income families (eg. housing assistance, employment initiatives) has created additional stress for the families whose children are enrolled at this child care agency. In the current political climate that promotes economic restraint, documented research that confirms the Page 9 long term benefits of early childhood education and family support seems to have limited impact on government policy. The student's role in the setting I am currently employed as a family support specialist on a one year contract. This position was created to assist the agency in 'operationalizing' its commitment to provide I have the responsibility for optimal support to families who are receiving child care. working with the senior management team to develop realistic strategies to enhance the family support component of this agency's service. In this position, I am responsible for reviewing key policies and practices in the family day care program that have an impact I am also respcnsible for providing direction on the agency's relationship with families. on ways to maximize the use of existing resources and expertise to support families using family day care. This includes the development of new models for promoting optimal communication and partnerships between families and the child care agency. I also will work with the program resource consultants, who lead the initial and advanced training for caregivers, to encourage an increased focus on family support. There is a possibility that agency resources will be made available to families and caregivers who are not currently participating in the agency's child care programs. Opportunities to extend services for those experiencing increased stress due to government cutbacks will be considered. My background includes over twenty years of experience in community development, child care management and direct programming in a range of children's services. Through a variety of roles, including management positions in the non-profit sector, as a consultant, and as a staff and community volunteer in children and family programs, I have been actively involved in programs that support families. My most 1