Factors That Influence Parents' Decision on the Choice of Day-Care Centres for Their Children in a Peri-Urban Community in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined factors that influence parents' decision on the choice of day-care centres for their children in a peri-urban community in Ghana. The descriptive survey design was employed. Using the simple random and the convenience sampling techniques, a sample size of fifteen (15) registered private day-care centres and one hundred and thirty (130) parents were selected for the study respectively. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations). The study revealed that, the environment and neighbourhood dominated the influential factors for the selection of day-care centres (M=3.30, SD=0.59), followed by parents ‘preference (M=2.47, SD= 0.50), including how educated or trained the staff is in child development, the number of children to number of teachers, availability of adequate and appropriate teaching learning and play materials, centres' operation within hours that fit their schedule and staff that is warm and trustworthy. The study further established that, there was an average and statistically significant influence of social contacts on parents in the selection of day-care centres. Additionally, it was found that parents focused on the developmental aspect of childcare rather than the cost of childcare and income of the family. Besides, even though parents believed that family structure was a factor influencing parent's decisions in the selection of childcare, it is not as important as other factors mentioned above. Based on these results, it was recommended that school authorities, by making use of the available resources should help improve the environment since parents were more concerned with the environment in which their children spend most of their time.