This descriptive case study's purpose is to describe family child care providers' unexplored experiences as early childhood entrepreneurs while simultaneously addressing their (in)equitable representation in early childhood curricular programming in higher education. Additionally, the objective is to prime program leadership, such as lead faculty,…

The research informs the public about the CCAMPIS (Child Care Access Means Parents In School) grant program and how it is improving the academic persistence of five single-mother college students. Besides offering affordable on-campus child care that is both convenient and high quality, the CCAMPIS grant also provided these five single-mother…

Early childhood staff and family child care providers have stressful work lives, and turnover rates for early education staff hovers around 30% annually. Children in early education programs are suspended and expelled at rates estimated to be three times higher than children in K-12 programs. Research shows that teachers who are better able to…

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA, 2004a) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1973), children with delays and disabilities have the right to access similar settings as their typically developing peers to receive care and education, which includes participating in community-based child care centers. A…

Almost 5.5 million young children with working mothers spend more time in family child care (FCC) than any other form of care in the U.S. FCC providers play a critical role in child development for infants and toddlers. Yet, research on FCC is lacking, particularly on providers, despite the national child care crisis. To fill this gap, my…

Campus child care centers have often been credited for supporting the occupational success of faculty and staff with dependent children. These centers have also been hailed as essential supports for student-parents' participation in higher education, integration into campus life, and academic success. In recognition of the value of campus child…

Although single student mothers are the largest and fastest-growing student demographic in higher education institutions, the experiences of single mothers in academia remain under-explored, as the increase in literature addresses the experiences of women in higher education. Obtaining graduate level education is an ongoing challenge for single…

This study examined the academic persistence of student fathers at a Texas community college through a single-site case study approach. Two key research questions guided the inquiry: (1) How did the community college describe its efforts to support academic persistence for student fathers? (2) What factors did student fathers perceive as…

Afterschool workers often lack the training and formal education that would help them perform their jobs effectively. There is little research on professional development available to such paraprofessional workers. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to explore afterschool workers' perceptions of needed training. The central question…

Families who have young children with disabilities have constrained child care options and often report difficulty in finding child care. However, little is understood about their child care decision-making process, and research has yet to explore how navigations between families' child care needs and the early childhood special education system…

The present study examines the impact of on-campus childcare on student parent success. Researchers believe the role stress they experience while balancing their responsibilities as students and parents, combined with their increased likelihood of experiencing financial stressors relative to their peers, impact their success outcomes. Supports…

Quality in early care and education (ECE) has been widely studied across several decades. There is not one standard definition of quality across ECE contexts. However, classroom quality often encompasses both structural features of quality, such as teacher-child ratios and teachers' qualifications, and process features of quality, such as…

Social/emotional competencies have been identified as some of the most important abilities that support early school success and the development of academic proficiency during elementary school (Denham et al., 2012). However, currently there are no required professional development opportunities for family child care providers on the topic. When…

Children benefit from engagement in early education and care (ECE) programs that support their learning and development while also providing a point of connection to critical resources for their families. For children from economically disadvantaged families, the lack of access to high-quality ECE results in a persistent achievement and…

Women bring diversity, innovation, and leadership to higher education institutions, which is often disregarded (Renn & Hughes, 2004). This participatory action research study explores women's experiences before, during, and after the COVID-19 component using a feminist lens. This study examines the obstacles facing women in the workplace that…