Article

Expanding the Current Definition of Program Quality: Exploring Parents’ Notions of What Makes a Good Program

Author

Kyoung Jin Kim

Information

pp. 43~62 / 2012 Vol.6 No.1

Abstract

In this article, I explored contemporary realities that pertain to assessing programs, and quality in earlychildhood education. Parents have ongoing demands for early childhood programs for their children, andthey are the decision-makers in selecting programs, so their perceptions of program quality are critical toservice providers. The purpose of this study is to listen to the voices of parents as they discussed “howthey view a good early childhood program.” I conducted interviews with 30 parents who had childrenaged 3-5 for initial interviews and 10 parents for in-depth interviews in central Illinois in the U.S.Parents had mixed opinions about the process factors and the structural factors of quality. Discussions ofquality should focus not only on children’s outcomes but also on what parents really want in a program.This article suggests that a system to accommodate the participants’ different practices and underlyingphilosophies and contexts is needed in order to represent the multiple perspectives on program quality.

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