Child care subsidies and child development : how four mothers story their experiences of their child(ren)'s development

• Main Author: Philion-Hunter, Sophia Lynne
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/42238

This study’s purpose was to allow space for the voice of mothers in the realm of child care subsidy and child development research. Four Canadian mothers storied their experiences of their child(ren)’s development during a time in which they lacked child care subsidies. Each participant participated in a semi-structured interview designed to invoke narratives relating to their experience of their child(ren)’s development. Though each of the participants’ stories was analyzed individually, a cross-sectional analysis revealed common themes which spanned across each of their stories. These themes included a desire for a community, a sense of struggle, feelings of guilt, and changes. The mothers shared, through their narratives, that each perceived lack of child care subsidies as negatively affecting their child (ren)’s development. Implications of the study’s findings on social work practice at various levels of intervention were discussed, as well as recommendations for future research inquiries.