Parental Perceptions of Child Care Quality in Centre-Based and Home-Based Settings: Associations with External Quality Ratings

Abstract

The current study examined how parental perceptions of child care quality were related to external quality ratings and considered how parental perceptions of quality varied according to child care context (home-based or centre-based settings). Parents of 179 4-year-old children who attended child care centres (n = 141) and home-based settings (n = 38) in Montreal, Quebec, as well as their educators, participated in the study. Parents were interviewed using the Child Care Satisfaction Rating Scale, a measure of parent perception of child care quality. The home-based and centre-based child care settings were evaluated by research assistants using the Quebec Educational Quality Observation Scale. Correlational analyses revealed significant associations between global satisfaction and quality scores, as well as subscale scores for parental and observational assessments of child care quality. In addition, Chi-square analyses revealed that parental satisfaction with the parent–educator relationship and with their child’s emotional well-being in child care was stronger for children in home-based settings than in centre-based care. This research provided empirical support for parents’ ability to discriminate quality child care. It is argued that quality assessment should take the perspectives of multiple stakeholders into account.