‘We grow together.’ Parent participation in an early childhood care and education centre

South African Journal of Childhood Education

 
 
Field Value
 
Title ‘We grow together.’ Parent participation in an early childhood care and education centre
 
Creator Connelly, Ailsa S. Shaik, Naseema Chigona, Agnes
 
Subject Education; Early Childhood Care and Education; Early Childhood Development communities of practice; democracy in ECCE; early childhood education; humanising dialogue; parent participation
Description Background: The importance of parental involvement in children’s education, from the start, has been established by global research. Despite this rhetoric, there is limited research in South African Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centres that explore how parents can participate democratically in early education, especially in areas of low-socio-economic standing.Aim: The aim and objective of this study were to explore parents’ and teachers’ understanding and experiences of parent participation in one ECCE centre in Lavender Hill, Cape Town.Setting: The research was conducted with the parents and teachers in one ECCE centre in Lavender Hill, Cape Town, South Africa.Methods: This interpretive, qualitative research provided opportunities to give voice to all participants through semi-structured interviews, analysis of school documents, appreciative inquiry and parent journaling. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to interpret the data.Results: The rich data collected provided a platform for open dialogue, allowing stakeholders in the setting to listen to one another fostering meaningful connections and empowerment within the community. The findings revealed the importance of promoting parent agency through participation, which strengthens community ties and social cohesion.Conclusion: Parents want to have an impact on the ECCE centre and are interested in their children’s lives within the setting. Meaningful participation and collaboration support individuals as a community of practice, which has the potential to influence the broader community surrounding the centre.Contribution: The ongoing research impact focusses on co-constructing an ongoing, iterative and democratic model of parent participation.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor DHET TEECEP
Date 2024-12-10
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Interpretive; Qualitative; Interviews; Journaling; Workshops
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajce.v14i1.1611
 
Source South African Journal of Childhood Education; Vol 14, No 1 (2024); 11 pages 2223-7682 2223-7674
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1611/3256 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1611/3257 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1611/3258 https://sajce.co.za/index.php/sajce/article/view/1611/3259
 
Coverage Western Cape — Female; Coloured; Parents; Teachers
Rights Copyright (c) 2024 Ailsa S. Connelly, Naseema Shaik, Agnes Chigona https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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