Are Parents’ Ratings and Satisfaction With Preschools Related to Program Features?

Abstract

This study examines whether parents’ overall satisfaction with their child’s early childhood education (ECE) program is correlated with a broad set of program characteristics, including (a) observational assessments of teacher-child interactions; (b) structural features of the program, such as teacher education and class size; (c) practical and convenience factors (e.g., hours, cost); and (d) a measure of average classroom learning gains. It then describes associations between parents’ evaluation of specific program characteristics and externally collected measures of those features. Leveraging rich data from a sample of low-income parents whose 4-year-olds attend publicly funded ECE programs, we find little correspondence between parents’ evaluations of program characteristics and any external measures of those same characteristics. We discuss policy implications, especially in light of recent federal and state informational initiatives, which aim to help families make informed ECE choices.

The Effects of Accountability Incentives in Early Childhood Education

“…Programs often receive direct financial incentives for meeting higher quality benchmarks (e.g., subsidy reimbursement rates; merit awards), and states or local organizations may also provide support such as professional development and technical assistance (National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement, ). The ratings are also publicly available to parents and other stakeholders, who often struggle to discern program quality on their own (Bassok et al., ; Mocan, ).…”

“…For this reason, information about program quality may have an even larger effect in the ECE context. Existing research shows that in the ECE context, parents tend to overestimate the quality of ECE programs, and their satisfaction with their child's program is unrelated to any observed quality characteristics (Bassok et al., ; Cryer & Burchinal, ; Mocan, ). The provision of simplified, reliable information about the quality of available ECE may thus allow parents to make informed decisions and selectively place their children with higher‐quality providers.…”

The Effects of Accountability Incentives in Early Childhood Education

“…Programs often receive direct financial incentives for meeting higher quality benchmarks (e.g., subsidy reimbursement rates; merit awards), and states or local organizations may also provide support such as professional development and technical assistance (National Center on Child Care Quality Improvement, 2015). The ratings are also publicly available to parents and other stakeholders, who often struggle to discern program quality on their own (Bassok et al, 2018;Mocan, 2007).…”

“…For this reason, information about program quality may have an even larger effect in the ECE context. Existing research shows that in the ECE context, parents tend to overestimate the quality of ECE programs, and their satisfaction with their child's program is unrelated to any observed quality characteristics (Bassok et al, 2018;Cryer & Burchinal, 1997;Mocan, 2007). The provision of simplified, reliable information about the quality of available ECE may thus allow parents to make informed decisions and selectively place their children with higher-quality providers.…”

Information Asymmetries between Parents and Educators in German Childcare Institutions

“…The existing studies often focus on the US market, including an economic study by Mocan (2007) and several studies by education scientists Burchinal 1997, Cryer et al 2002; for an overview see Torquati et al 2011, Bassok et al 2017). These studies focus on differences in the quality rating by parents and experts.…”