Description:
The Caminos Program works with licensed Spanish speaking child care providers in Washington State. They have one main goal--to improve school readiness for children. To achieve this goal, Caminos and their partners aim to: (1) improve the literacy levels of child care providers; and (2) improve the quality of care given by the providers to the children they serve. The project currently includes 35 active Latina child care providers; of the families with children in their care, many receive subsidized child care through the Department of Social and Health Services. Using a multiple literacies framework, this study explores the literacy goals of stakeholders for the child care providers, as well as how these goals are being addressed through the current educational model provided by Caminos and collaborating agencies. The study reviews archival data collected by the agencies, including state compliance violations, home visit forms, and surveys, as well as additional data including demographics, participant observation, and interviews. Qualitative analysis methods are used to analyze the data and provide a rich description. The results indicate that although the program can have success with some providers, each participant's opportunities are unique as she must meet the continued literacy demands to believe, protect, teach, and manage.
Resource Type:
Administration for Children and Families/OPRE Projects
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