Research that Benefits Children and Families—Uplifting Stories

I would like to share this article about The Importance of Preschool and Child Care for Working Mothers. This article was uplifting to me because the President of the United States understands the importance of quality preschool programs for mothers who have to work.   This topic for me and many of my colleagues was an issue that we struggle with while looking for  quality affordable childcare.  I found myself 2 years ago looking for childcare for my son who is now four years old.  There were many childcare programs that I would have love for him to attend but the average cost was at least $135.00 per week.  This was something that I could not afford and often thought about quitting my job because I didn’t have anyone to keep my son while I worked.  With my continuous prayers I finally found a program that I love and could afford.

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/report/2013/05/08/62519/the-importance-of-preschool-and-child-care-for-working-mothers/

My Personal Research Journey

Increasing Family Engagement in Early Childhood Programs is the research topic in which I choose to write about. After years and years of working in the Early Childhood field it's amazing to see that so many parents/families are not engage with their child's early childcare program.  I know that parents/families are more busier then ever trying to work, probably  attend school and raising their families but I want to know as an Early Childcare Professional what  I can do to help childcare providers increase family engagement.  I always try to stress to providers the importance of being flexible to meet the needs of all families.  This could be having two different times and dates for parent meetings, more written communication and more importantly having parents set a time that’s convenient for them. I've suggested fund raisers, having the parents donate materials and their time, and getting assistance from the community. So far I have learned that it is still all about "funding".  Many programs don’t have the funds to have the activities that they would like to have or the time to conduct these activities after hours.  I'm also finding out that many childcare programs have given up on trying to  get parents and families’ involved because of past experiences. My question to you all is do you have any information that you can share on ways that childcare providers with limited funding can increase family engagement?