Quality in Family Child Care: The Voice of the Family Child Care Provider

Abstract

The primary purposes of this study are to explore the provider perspective on quality in family child care (FCC) and patterns of relationship between the provider perspective and the research-based perspective on quality in FCC. Sixteen FCC providers from the Family Child Care Partnerships mentor-driven, quality improvement program participated in the study. Each provider completed a telephone interview during which time she described quality in her own words, prioritized components of quality derived from the research literature, and completed a self-report measure of quality. Qualitative analyses as outlined by Strauss and Corbin (1990) were used to identify themes and patterns of relationship between the provider and professional perspectives on quality. Most providers described quality using both professional and non-professional terminology. Overall, there was evidence of consistency across study measures, findings that suggest a positive relationship between the provider perspective and observed quality (as measured by the Family Child Care Environment Rating Scale [FCCERS]). The relationship between self- and observer-reported quality was particularly noteworthy when comparing providers who had been identified as improving on the FCCERS with those who were not. Implications are discussed for research, practice, theory, and policy.