Online Professional Development for Child Care Providers: Do They Have Appropriate Access to and Comfort with the Internet?

Abstract

With the expansion of online trainings today, Extension professionals have an opportunity to reach child care providers in more convenient ways. However, having convenient, reliable Internet access can be a barrier to online training for some child care providers, especially those with limited financial resources. This study investigated child care providers’ ability to access online training through convenient, reliable Internet access by asking 494 child care providers in Georgia about their access to and comfort with the Internet. Participants completed a brief 12-question survey that included questions about their Internet access and use for both personal and professional purposes (i.e., whether or not they have Internet access, where they have access, how often they use it, and how comfortable they feel using it). The majority of child care providers reported having Internet access (89.68%) and feeling comfortable using the Internet (68.62%), and therefore, have the technological resources to participate in online professional development.

The role of digital technologies in supporting quality improvement in Australian early childhood education and care settings

“…With the exception of professional development for educators, we found no empirical studies on leadership or types of leadership in association with digital technology in ECEC. Ongoing professional development is essential for early childhood professionals and digital technology has the potential to reduce associated costs and improve access to professional development resources (Ackerman, 2017 ; Donahue & Fox, 2012 ; Wright & Bales, 2014 ). Early childhood educators build their own professional knowledge through formal and informal online resources and have reported using a range of digital devices, with desktop computers being the most popular, followed by laptops, tablets and smartphones (Dwyer et al, 2019 ; Hatzigianni, 2018 ).…”

“…For example, early childhood educators search for practical information, including ideas for activities and networking with other professionals through events, such as webinars and conferences or the use of a digital professional space to facilitate sharing of information, ideas and advice, and staying informed of industry updates (Dwyer et al, 2019 ). This highlights their professional learning needs can be met by the use of digital tools and the potential value of online learning (Donahue & Fox, 2012 ; Stone-MacDonald & Douglass, 2015 ; Wright & Bales, 2014 ).…”

“…The use of technology in the mesosystem for communication and collaboration purposes between parents, educators and other ECEC stakeholders is also widespread (McFadden & Thomas, 2016 ). In the outer systems of Exosystem and Macrosystem the presence of technology is again increasing rapidly though not sufficiently investigated (Murcia et al, 2018 ; Wright & Bales, 2014 ; Yost & Fan, 2014 ). Finally, the chronosystem refers to the current chronological period, the twenty-first century, a time of technological advancements.…”