Family child care providers' experience in health promotion

Comparison of Urban and Rural Physical Activity and Outdoor Play Environments of Childcare Centers and Family Childcare Homes

The purpose of this study was to examine the physical activity environment in childcare programs across type (childcare centers [CCCs] and family childcare homes [FCCHs]) and geographic location (urban and rural) as assessed by physical activity best practices according to the Go Nutrition and Physical Activity Self-assessment in Child Care. Results showed CCCs compared with FCCHs reported higher achievement of best practices. Further, urban childcare programs (CCCs and FCCHs) reported higher achievement of best practices in comparison to rural childcare programs. There is a need to deliver targeted interventions that promote children's physical activity in FCCHs and CCCs in rural areas.

Promoting child development and behavioral health: family child care providers' perspectives

INTRODUCTION

Given the significant proportion of children in nonparental child care and the importance of early life experiences on development, interventions to improve a child care provider's ability to enhance a young child's development and behavior are essential. Such interventions require understanding of and responsiveness to the provider's self-perceived roles, responsibilities, and willingness to engage in such interventions, yet prior research is limited. The purpose of the study was to characterize licensed family child care provider perspectives as a first step toward designing effective provider-based interventions to improve children's development and behavior.

METHOD

We conducted a qualitative study using in-depth interviews with licensed family child care providers serving economically disadvantaged children. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and synthesized into common themes using the constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis.

RESULTS

The family child care providers described five domains related to their role in child development and behavior: (a) promotion, (b) assessment, (c) advising parents, (d) acknowledging barriers, and (e) their own skill development.

DISCUSSION

The family child care providers we interviewed describe how the developmental and behavioral health of children is an important aspect of their role and identify innovative and feasible ways to enhance their skills. Understanding the self-perceived role, responsibility, and willingness of child care providers is an important foundation to designing effective interventions to achieve high-quality child care.