Perceptions and Needs for the Open-Childcare Center: Focused on Director, Teacher, and Parent

Abstract

This study investigated the difference of perception and needs among director, teacher, and parent for an openchildcare center focused on parent participation. The subjects of this study consisted of 56 directors, 231 teachers, and 299 parents in childcare centers in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Incheon, Chungcheong, and Gyeongsang province. They completed a questionnaire about the perception and needs of an open-childcare center, which was later analyzed by SPSS ver. 23.0. The findings were as follows. First, five areas of open-childcare center were 'participating activities as various roles,' 'willingness of parent participation,' 'reflection of parent needs,' 'concern about CCTV,' and 'sharing outdoor spaces.' Second, the perception of directors concerning open-childcare centers were higher than the ones for teachers or parents; however, there were differences in perception depending on their perspective position. The biggest perception of directors was 'participating activities as various roles,' and parents' one was 'concerned about CCTV.' However, the perceptions of teachers were a lower level than the other two groups'. Third, the directors showed a higher level of needs to promote an open-childcare center (except for one concerned about CCTV). Parents also showed their needs 'increasing awareness of open-childcare program,' 'promoting to parent's participation,' 'communication with on-line,' and 'concerning CCTV.' The implication of these results were discussed as action plans to promote an open-childcare center.