Abstract
ABSTRACTPurpose. The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative study was to examine the lived experiences of early childhood professionals on quality in home-based settings. The goal was to explore the lived experiences because they can serve as a frame for designing strategies for quality improvement, additional quality measures, support to educators in their desired quality outcomes, and considerations for implementing policy.
Theoretical Framework. This study used a conceptual theoretical framework to estimate how early childhood educators describe their experiences. The first framework is the goal-setting theory of motivation (Lunenburg, 2011). This study also used the conceptual model for quality in home-based childcare (Blasberg et al., 2019).
Methodology. The design of this study was qualitative, and it applied a phenomenological research method. The method explored the lived experiences of early childhood professionals in home-based settings. The research participants responded to interview questions that examined their lived experiences. The five participants were directors of their programs and licensed by the Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division for over 5 years.
Findings. The experiences of early childhood professionals interviewed support several conclusions. The study identified seven common themes among the research participants: funding, long-term impact, independence, child’s interest, local childcare agencies, and college professors.
Conclusions. The results of this research add to the literature regarding the experiences of early childhood professionals in home-based settings. The themes from the interviews suggested that the participants shared a similar journey to quality. The stories from all five interviewees reflected a pattern exhibited by each of the seven themes: They take their career of working with children with great responsibility as they help to shape future leaders.
Recommendations. Further research should quantitatively explore the connection with more research participants and focus on the themes found in this study’s results. The need for additional research should also include a quantitative study to obtain findings that would pertain to a larger population. Another area to investigate should be a comparison between licensed FCC educators who partner with local childcare agencies and those who do not.