Caregivers in nonprofit and private child care centers: a qualitative analysis of perceptions of auspice and job satisfaction

• Main Author: Clark, Kathryn Anne Mack
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: Day care centers > British Columbia > Vancouver Metropolitan Area; Child care workers > British Columbia > Vancouver Metropolitan Area > Job satisfaction
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/4623

This study focused on two factors, auspice and job satisfaction, which have been shown to impact on the quality of child care programs. However, while research has indicated that auspice, job satisfaction, and program quality are intertwined, there is a lack of research which explores these factors qualitatively. There is also a dearth of research which has considered auspice from the caregivers' perspectives. Hence, the purpose of this study was to explore the meaning that caregivers give to auspice in their work in nonprofit and for-profit child care centers. As well, this study sought to examine the relationship between auspice and job satisfaction from the caregiver's point of view, paying close attention to differences in job satisfaction that existed between staff employed in nonprofit centers and staff who worked in private or for-profit centers. A series of qualitative, in-depth interviews were conducted with eight child care workers from the Vancouver Metropolitan area. Four of the participants were employed in or owned private centers and four of the participants worked in nonprofit centers. Positive and negative perceptions of both nonprofit and private auspice emerged. In particular, the nonprofit participants believed that child care should be operated as a service and not a business. They perceived that the motive to make a profit in child care lead for-profit centers to sacrifice quality in order to cut costs and maximize profits. On the other hand, the for- profit participants perceived that their centers provided high quality care and were dedicated to putting the needs of children and staff first. In general, the participants'' perceptions of factors that influenced their job satisfaction were similar across auspices. The nature of child care work and supportive relationships with co-workers were factors which positively influenced job satisfaction while the perceived lack of status in the eyes of society negatively affected satisfaction. Differences in job satisfaction according to auspice were found on several factors, such as government policies and a perceived lack of enough time to accomplish job duties.