Factors Influencing Parental Decision to Choose Early Education Facilities for Their Children

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Author Note

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Discussion
The primary aim of the research was to explore the factors that play an important role
in influencing parental decision to choose early education facilities for their children. This
research was primarily conducted with the aim of investigating the relationship that existed
between the concept of quality of education and personal choice. This chapter will sketch
how the research findings can contribute to the generation of a deeper insight into the role
that parents exert in the improvement of the early care and education. Thematic analysis was
adopted for exploration of the qualitative research. The chapter will examine and record
different themes from the data findings across the interviews that were conducted among 30
parents (all females). The themes identified from the research are given below:
Theme 1: Parent engagement
Engagement of a child with the parents usually begins with the start of the day and
continues throughout the day. The success of engagement with parents largely depends on the
approachability and accessibility of the child to its parents. Parents have been found to play a
crucial role in the overall success of their child by engaging in an affectionate relationship
with the latter. School staff and parents should work together to bring about an improvement
in the overall development and learning of the child, thus enhancing the health outcomes
(Pallini et al., 2014). Data from the interviews and questionnaires suggest that an estimated
70% of the parents visited other pre-school settings before they decided upon one
organisation for their child. The findings also suggested that owing to the fact that most
female participants were working mothers, their desire to return to work after pregnancy
played a pivotal role in admitting their child to pre-schools that were easily accessible (50%).
These findings are consistent with the fact that while selecting a pre-school, most parents take
into consideration the curriculum, academics, costs, and length of duration that the child

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spends in the areas. While traditional perceptions and thoughts have placed attention on
kindergartens as the official beginning of the education of a child, recent evidences suggest
that the years that precede this milestone are crucial for the learning phase (Flook et al.,
2015).
The concept of feeling valued, important and loved is largely responsible for
enhancing the self-worth and self-esteem of the child that is considered utmost necessary for
leading a fulfilling life. However, inadequate parental availability governs the individual
temperament of a child and also influences the emotional and social development. Besides,
returning to paid workforce has also been identified as a matter of serious concern by mothers
who take their time off, to spend with their toddlers. Hence, all of these aforementioned
factors are consistent with the data that elaborate on the less parental time, and desire to
resume work among mothers, which make them enrol their children in pre-schools (Wilder,
2014).
There is mounting evidence that has identified lack of adequate transportation as a
factor that controls the selection of a school (Young, Austin & Growe, 2013). Parents usually
opt for a different pre-school, if there lays the provision for better transportation.
Additionally, the responses also suggested that less distance between the pre-schools and the
parent’s office served as another selection criterion (50%). Location plays an important role
in selecting early education and child care. The impact of location of the pre-school services
to the personal knowledge of the parents about the area and the available provisions were
largely governed by their visits to the place. Furthermore, the visits also played a critical role
in increasing the involvement of the parents with the pre-schools, thus helping them exert
their decision in relation to child admission.

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Theme 2: Early childhood learning
This theme is in accordance with the second research objective of the parental
priorities that come into play during selection of a pre-school. Most children were enrolled in
the pre-schools at 2-3 years of age (80%), which was associated with the reduction in
healthcare complications among the children. Some of the most common complications that
arise after childbirth include post-partum infections and deterioration in the health status of
the children (Stephansson et al., 2016). However, the fact that most mothers displayed a
willingness to resume work within 2-3 years of their pregnancy elaborates on the
enhancement of the overall health and wellbeing of both the child and their mothers. An
estimated 24% of the parents at setting A suggested that they were well aware of the
curriculum of study prevalent in the pre-school settings. Adequate knowledge on the
curriculum makes all parents aware of the benefits that the early education would reflect on
the learning capabilities of their child. Preschool curriculum commonly comprise of different
academic domains that encompass literacy, oral language, mathematics, and science
(Vuorinen et al., 2014).
The primary advantage of a comprehensive and thorough curriculum is related to
enhancement of the social skills and an improvement in the attention span of all children.
Furthermore, 30% parents ranked the educational approach that was followed across the
different settings as a chief selection criteria. Research evidence have defined educational
approaches as tactics that promote an engaging and rigorous curriculum that are grounded on
inquiry-based procedures. Furthermore, the association between a good school culture and
development of a child has been well recognised (Akalin et al., 2014). The fact that several
educational programmes are organised by taking into consideration the social, academic,
physical and cultural differences of a child made it essential for the parents to gain an insight
into the curriculum practiced in the pre-schools, prior to children admission. Student teacher