Child care as family support: caregiving practices across child care providers

Bromer, Juliet; Henly, Julia R.

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2004.04.003

Cited by 67 publications

(39 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Next to formal childcare arrangements, informal support networks also play an important role in facilitating the care burden after marriage dissolution (Leira 1990;Bromer and Henly 2004;Raeymaeckers et al 2008). Informal care providers like relatives and friends often facilitate the balance between work and care by providing practical help.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The influence of formal and informal support systems on the labour supply of divorced mothers

et al. 2008

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In this article, we evaluate the effect of both formal and informal childcare support systems on the post-divorce labour supply of divorced mothers. To this end, we model the change in working hours before and after divorce by using a multilevel approach, estimating the impact of both microand macro-level determinants. Although we find empirical evidence for the hypothesis that a country's institutional environment plays an important role in facilitating employment as a strategy for mothers to cope with their financial losses following partnership dissolution, our conclusion is that the change in labour supply is more responsive to the whole of a country's family policies rather than to so-called 'domain-specific' indicators of formal and informal childcare provision. Furthermore, our empirical evidence suggests that at the micro-level, formal and informal childcare strategies are connected. The complementary role of informal support systems, facilitating the use of formal childcare, is an important finding from a policy point of view. However, further research will have to make clear which conditions have to be fulfilled in order to help divorced mothers to combine work and care, thus enabling them to mitigate the economic consequences of partnership dissolution.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

The influence of formal and informal support systems on the labour supply of divorced mothers

et al. 2008

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“…Despite the obvious motivation, determination and agency displayed in setting up their services and the development of strategies to attract custom, this barrier seems to persist. Specific international research, entirely from the USA, confirms that parents tend to select providers along ethnic and social class lines (Bromer, 2001;Bromer & Henly, 2004;Meyers & Jordan, 2006;Morrissey, 2007). Therefore, further research, both in a broader range of countries but also specifically within Ireland, will aid in understanding these behaviours, in order to enhance inclusion and break down barriers such as those faced by participants in this research project.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…In reviewing the underpinning theories of family support, it was apparent that this small group of childminders perceive the value and claim to incorporate social support functions within the childminderÁparent relationship. International findings demonstrate how childminders are valued for the unique position they hold in families' informal networks (Bromer & Henly, 2004) and often engaged with as part of formal family support services (Statham, 2003). The outcomes of this research suggest policy-makers and practitioners could consider childminders in the context of support services to families, as an extension of the naturally occurring support networks, and explore the potential herein.…”

Section: Policy Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…With regards to employment experiences, Hegarty states that ''women migrant workers talked about the use of their own networks to identify good and bad employers'' (2007, p. 9), while Potter's (2006) research in Northern Ireland found that ethnic minority businesswomen expressed a desire to develop a network for self-support, sharing of experience and expertise. Further research shows how informal networks fulfil a vital role in assisting newcomers to make their way, providing flexible and responsive support (Bromer & Henly, 2004;Cutrona, 2000 By networking with other Irish childminders, through training and networking events, some African childminders have had families referred to them by their Irish colleagues. This referral may assist parents to feel more secure about meeting with and considering using a service they might otherwise have reservations about, based on ungrounded prejudices:…”

Section: Networking and Supportmentioning

confidence: 98%

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“It's Not Like a Job Now; It's Part of Me”: Exploring African Women's Experiences in the Irish Childcare Sector

Garrity

McGrath²

2011

Child Care in Practice

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A small-scale qualitative research study was recently carried out in the West of Ireland to explore the experiences of African childminders who had established new childcare services. The intention of the study was to explore the issues, concerns and challenges of this group of providers given their unique position as recently settled, ethnic minority women in Ireland. Twelve women were interviewed as part of this study, all of whom had arrived with considerable educational and employment experiences from their home countries in West Africa. The research illustrates a number of key processes and characteristics within this sub-sector of childminding. It reveals that, in terms of pathways to work, these women had struggled to find employment in their new communities such that childcare provided a viable route that the women pursued with enthusiasm and commitment. Most had developed their services in a largely unintentional way to begin with. Having made a conscious decision to set up their services, this group appeared to demonstrate a strong determination to succeed by seeking out formal support, through advice and training, in order to enhance their services and adhere to professional regulations. They also encountered the need to proactively develop strategies that would overcome perceived barriers and broaden their appeal. While the women placed much emphasis on providing a high-quality service and adopting a professional approach, the group claimed to offer broader support and encouragement to parents in practical and emotional ways. In discussing the relationship the participants had with the families, the childminders felt that they provided a range of supportive services to the families with whom they worked. In documenting the reported experience and perspectives of these Sheila Garrity is a Doctoral Fellow at

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“…Substantive links have been established between early development and some essential elements of quality childcare such as those found with respectful, responsive and reciprocal adult/child relationships and outcomes for children (Bromer & Henly, 2004). If parents have difficulty in identifying the characteristics of quality childcare provision then their options may need to be made more explicit and/or be protected.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Market Childcare: Preliminary Considerations of a ‘Property View’ of the Child

Goodfellow

2005

Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood

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A recent study of grandparents who were caring for their young grandchildren on a regular basis has prompted an examination of what appears to be a paradox surrounding the provision of childcare services within Australia. The paradox reflects concerns surrounding the balance between a commitment to high-quality childcare services for children and families and the means by which this may be achieved. The choice that grandparents made to care for their grandchildren in caring and loving environments reflects a humanistic perspective. However, some grandparents raised concerns about what may be considered to be a property view of the child that places childcare within the context of a competitive marketplace. This article explores these issues using terminology drawn from the marketplace to traverse what appears to be an abyss between a business orientation and more humanistic approaches to early childhood education. Following the introduction of the paradox and an examination of market characteristics, the article concludes with questions about who the childcare consumer is, a consideration of approaches to consumer protection and reflections on childcare provision.

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Child care as family support: caregiving practices across child care providers

Cited by 67 publications

References 41 publications

The influence of formal and informal support systems on the labour supply of divorced mothers

The influence of formal and informal support systems on the labour supply of divorced mothers

“It's Not Like a Job Now; It's Part of Me”: Exploring African Women's Experiences in the Irish Childcare Sector

Market Childcare: Preliminary Considerations of a ‘Property View’ of the Child

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