Browsing by Author "Pic, Annette"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Can an intensive professional development on play change child care providers’ perspectives and practice on play?
    (International Journal of Play, 2023-05-17) Han, Myae; Buell, Martha; Liu, Di; Pic, Annette
    Early childhood teachers need knowledge and skills to support play and learning. However, the child care workforce often has limited or no preservice training on play, relying instead on in-service training. With policy shifts towards a standards-driven curriculum in the U.S., there is limited in-service play training available, creating a need for high quality in-service training on play. This study introduces a model of intensive professional development (PD) on play – a group workshop coupled with a group coaching model – implemented in the Mid-Atlantic area in the U.S. The play training focused on three areas: self-active play experience, the knowledge and skills needed to support children's learning through play. The group coaching component included feedback on self-recorded video practice and an opportunity for participants to share reflections on supporting play with each other and the coaches. We conducted an interview study with the participants about their perspectives on play and practice after the intensive PD. Qualitative data analysis revealed that: (1) all participants changed their perspectives on play after the play PD; (2) participants implemented strategies from the training and supported more play in practice; and (3) despite increased knowledge and skills, participants continued to experience challenges when implementing play strategies.
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    Exploring access and utilization of early care and education services among families experiencing homelessness with young children
    (University of Delaware, 2023) Pic, Annette
    Families experiencing homelessness with young children under age 3 tend not to engage in early care and education services at the same rate as their housed peers. Young children experiencing homelessness are more likely to experience trauma and stress and are at greater risk for compromised brain development. To help protect against the negative effects of homelessness, increased attention has been given to connecting children experiencing homelessness to early care and education services such as child care, Early Intervention, and subsidy. ☐ Current research examining early care and education service access for families experiencing homelessness tends to focus on families with children age 3 and older. This study sought to fill the knowledge gap by employing qualitative research to develop an understanding of the following: 1) types of ECE services accessed and used by families experiencing homelessness with a child under 3; 2) facilitators that support ECE service access and use; 3) barriers that prevent ECE service access and use; 4) how these families perceive ECE services; and, 5) recommendation these families propose to enable their use of ECE services. The findings from this study provide useful insight into how to improve ECE access and utilization for these families, and better support children and families experiencing homelessness.
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    Exploring conflict occurrences in a nature-based preschool in the context of indoor and outdoor child-initiated play
    (University of Delaware, 2020) Pic, Annette
    The social nature of preschool play provides a rich context to study conflict. Play in the outdoor environment affords children the opportunity to engage in deep sustained play (Bohling et al., 2010) making outdoor nature-based preschools a rich setting for children to engage in conflict in the context of play. This descriptive qualitative study explored peer conflict and resolution in the context of free play in a culturally diverse nature-based preschool both in the indoor and the outdoor setting. In this nature-based preschool, children spend two-thirds of their school day outside engaging in free play and forty-five minutes indoors engaging in free play and teacher directed activities. For this study focal child (n=16) video observations were conducted. Each focal child was video recorded for 30 minutes of their outdoor free play and 30 minutes of their indoor free play. Event coding analysis was used to examine peer conflict frequency, catalysts, interventionist types, and resolution or no resolution. Data analysis showed that in this nature preschool the setting (indoor, outdoor) played a role in conflict frequency rates, duration, catalyst, interventionist type patterns, and children’s opportunity to negotiate and resolve peer conflict. Boys engaged in more conflict indoors while girls engaged in conflict outdoors. The outdoor conflict events were more likely to be initiated by a play idea, lasted longer and involved more complex interventionist patterns.
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    Russian Immigrant Families’ Child Care Selection in the United States
    (Early Childhood Education Journal, 2024-11-16) Novikova, Ekaterina; Hallam, Rena; Pic, Annette
    Research on immigrant populations shows that child care choices are dependent on the population’s region of origin. While the Russian immigrant population in the United States comprises the largest group of immigrants from Eastern Europe and is likely to increase in the future, there is virtually no research on Russian immigrant families’ child care search and selection criteria. This qualitative study applies the theoretical model of Pungello and Kurtz-Costes (1999), which illustrates how factors such as parental demographic characteristics, environmental context, child characteristics, and parental beliefs play into families’ child care selection. The study draws from semi-structured interviews with 11 Russian immigrant families residing in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States to examine their child care search processes and selection criteria. Results revealed that most parents found child care through friends’ recommendations, Internet search, and online reviews. Nine themes describing child care criteria valued by Russian immigrant families emerged from the analysis. Specifically, parents mentioned culture and personal beliefs, child characteristics, convenience, cost and subsidy, education and learning, program features, facilities and environment, teacher characteristics, and rating and reputation as the major factors in selecting child care. Understanding Russian immigrant parents’ child care information sources and selection criteria will allow for early care and education (ECE) providers to accommodate the needs of Russian immigrant population and for policymakers to facilitate access to ECE programs for these families.