1. Ways of caring: How family, friend, and neighbor providers describe their care of children and parents Juliet Bromer University of Chicago Annual Child Care Bureau Research Meeting March, 2005

2. This poster draws on findings from the dissertation study, Informal Social Support Roles of African American Child Care Providers in Low Income Communities, funded by a research scholars dissertation grant from the Child Care Bureau and by a dissertation fellowship grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. This dissertation study is part of the broader Study of Work-Child Care Fit, directed by Julia R. Henly at the University of Chicago.

3. Research goals Examine how providers across settings - family, friend, neighbor (FFN); family child care; center- based care - conceptualize and carry out the daily work of child care and family support. Examine the child care work of FFN providers in particular

4. Background Studies find many FFN providers do child care for adult-focused reasons and may offer less “child- focused” caregiving to children* *Kontos, S., Howes, C., Shinn, M., & Galinsky, E. (1995). Quality in family child care and relative care. New York: Teachers College Press.

5. Methods and sample Sub-sample of 10 low-income, African- American parents and their family, friend, neighbor providers (FFN) (n=20) Parents recruited through retail firms in Chicago and FFNs recruited through parents 9/10 FFN providers care for grandchildren only; 3/10 care for non-relatives and relatives In-depth interviews with parents and providers Thematic coding used for analysis

6. Findings Adult-focused provider motivations Help mothers survive economically Moral obligation to help family Holistic view of child care – help to mothers is a way to help children

7. “And that’s what families are supposed to do. That’s what they are about. I’m not saying we’re a family and you go your way and I go mine. That’s not a family. A family sticks together! A family helps each other.” –Grandmother caring for her great grandson and grandson

8. Findings Child-focused provider motivations Strong attachment to individual children Responsibility for “second mothering” of children and parents 7/10 providers initiated the child care arrangements

9. “He knows that I’m the other half of the tree… It’s like he wakes up in the morning, he get to reaching for me. And we got a good relationship, I feel. You know? He’s the type of baby, he knows that I’m caring for him.” “It was just a volunteer thing for me to keep her…. Because it’s my first grandbaby and I loved her.”

10. Findings Care of children “Doing daily things:” Rituals and routines Emotional care of children Academics and school readiness Informal scheduling, “go with the flow” approach

11. Findings Emotional care Providers emphasized relationships and ethic of caring with children. “If anything goes wrong as far as they are concerned, whatever is in their little life, they talk to grandma and tell grandma.” “I give Jamillah a lot of love... I think if she learns anything from me, it's how to cuddle and how to love someone.”

12. Findings Care of parents Childrearing coaches – providers help parents manage daily routines Regular advice on range of topics from childrearing to managing work and family Child-centered approach to parenting

13. CHILD-CENTERED PARENTING ADVICE “You gotta make time. You gotta make time for the kid.” “Read to her, teach her to do certain things … give her the quality time that so she’ll learn something … I always tell her to spend a lot of time with her because now she basically needs that.” “You got to spend time with him, that’s your child. He gonna love you regardless…” “Let him get on the floor and play….She read to him. I tell her that’s good ‘cause its gonna help him in the long run. …. I tell her that was good to do.”

14. PARENTS’ REPORTS OF SUPPORT “She’s a confidante and then she’s my backbone. A really big, strong support...” “His grandmother she always help me from since he was a baby so she was always there…” “She was telling me about responsibility: how to raise the baby right. Make sure you got his diaper changed., Make sure he’s got his bath. Make sure he eats everyday. Take ‘em to the doctor.”

15. Findings Challenges to child-focused care Many FFN providers reported multiple burdens of caring - other jobs, economic hardship, relationship conflict, and physical exhaustion. Some providers may have different motivations and practices regarding non-relative children

16. Implications FFNs’ descriptions of child and parent care suggest new ways to define child-focused care Emotional care of children and informal support of parents’ parenting represent hidden dimensions of child care quality Working parents’ needs for support suggest better coordination of formal and informal support services to families beyond child care