Background

There is a concern regarding the decreasing number of family childcare (FCC) providers, due to the population that primarily relies on it. Compared to studies of center- and school-based preschool practitioners, the FCC literature is lacking robust workforce studies, including examinations of whether and how FCC providers’ workplace appraisals of and feelings while at work are associated with indicators of interaction quality (relationships with families, relationships with children, and responsiveness to children's negative emotions) and the quality of their interactions with children and families.

Objective

The present study examines how groups of FCC providers, categorized based on differences in appraisals of and feelings experienced at work, differ in the quality of interactions with children and families. The study seeks to extend the FCC literature by also describing socio-ecological factors, such as provider and program characteristics, of these different groups of providers.

Method

Survey data was collected through a national study of FCC providers (N = 888). A person-centered analysis using hierarchical clustering was used to classify providers into groups based on their workplace appraisals and feelings experienced at work.

Results

A person-centered cluster analysis identified four groups. Indicators of interaction quality varied between groups. Group membership was associated with FCC providers' professional commitment, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion.

Conclusions

Findings from the current study support calls to increase investment in the support of the FCC workforce by addressing FCC providers’ needs through recognition of differences in workplace appraisals and provider feelings at work. In particular, reducing FCC providers’ emotional exhaustion may be an effective way to increase the quality of their interactions with children and families.

中文翻译：

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致力于关爱：家庭育儿工作评价与感受的聚类分析

背景

由于主要依赖家庭托儿服务的人口数量减少，人们担心家庭托儿服务 (FCC) 提供者的数量正在减少。与以中心和学校为基础的学前从业者的研究相比，FCC 文献缺乏强有力的劳动力研究，包括检查 FCC 提供者在工作时对工作场所的评估和感受是否以及如何与互动质量指标（与家庭的关系）相关联。 、与儿童的关系以及对儿童负面情绪的反应）以及他们与儿童和家庭互动的质量。

客观的

本研究考察了基于对工作的评价和感受的差异进行分类的 FCC 提供者群体在与儿童和家庭的互动质量方面的差异。该研究旨在通过描述这些不同提供者群体的社会生态因素（例如提供者和计划特征）来扩展 FCC 文献。

方法

调查数据是通过对 FCC 提供者（N = 888）的国家研究收集的。使用层次聚类的以人为中心的分析用于根据提供者的工作场所评估和工作经历将其分类。

结果

以人为中心的聚类分析确定了四组。交互质量的指标因组而异。团体成员与 FCC 提供者的专业承诺、工作满意度和情绪衰竭有关。

结论

当前研究的结果支持呼吁通过承认工作场所评估和提供者在工作中感受的差异来满足 FCC 提供者的需求，从而增加对 FCC 劳动力支持的投资。特别是，减少 FCC 提供者的情绪衰竭可能是提高他们与儿童和家庭互动质量的有效方法。