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

The child care needs of working parents have gained considerable attention in recent policy and research discussions. There is growing interest in understanding caregiving practices across child care types (centers and preschools, family child care homes, and kith and kin care). In particular, child care providers are increasingly considered sources of family support beyond the direct care of children. Yet there has been limited conceptual or empirical study to help understand such an expanded role for child care providers. This paper presents a conceptual framework for explaining the caregiving practices of child care providers, with particular attention to providers serving low-income families and communities. It elaborates three factors posited to shape the child care and family support roles of providers: the child care setting; the provider's level of professionalism; and the provider's motivations and values regarding child care work. The rationale for the model draws on theoretical and empirical work in the early childhood, professionalism, and caregiving and carework literatures. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.