Chinese children are viewed not only as the raison d'etre of their parents, but also as contributors to their future well-being. The demands and expectations that shape the nurturing and education of young Chinese children have developed on the basis of these beliefs. In Richmond B.C., a community that has experienced a recent and rapid influx of Chinese immigrants, there has emerged an issue regarding the nature of preschool education. On the one hand, immigrant Chinese parents prefer a highly structured educational environment wherein English-as-a-Second language [ESL] instruction is emphasized. This kind of pedagogical approach, it is believed, will foster their children's integration into mainstream society. Early childhood educators and caregivers, on the other hand, favour an exclusively play-based learning strategy, one devoid of formal training in grammar and phonetics. These practitioners reject the reductionist approach advocated by parents in favour of what they view as a more wholistic pedagogy. This issue is further exacerbated by cultural barriers: first, owing to Confucian prescriptions against challenging authority, there exists a general reluctance on the part of Chinese immigrants to confront school officials; second, communication between the two sides is rendered difficult, if not impossible, by the language barrier. The purpose of this study is to foster better understanding on the part of child care policy makers regarding the educational needs and problems facing Chinese immigrant families residing in Richmond, B.C. Literature relevant to early childhood development within a multicultural framework was reviewed in this study. In particular, the development of ESL education for ethno-cultural preschoolers, the philosophy of early childhood pedagogy, the result of quality child care and issues pertinent to research terminology and techniques were closely examined. The literature reviewed was drawn predominantly from Canadian and American sources. Their texts were served to illustrate differences in philosophical and practical perspectives regarding child care. Chinese sources were also examined in order to explain cultural and ideological differences in the field of child care. A profile of the interviewees was developed based on quantitative data collected during interviews with 75 Chinese immigrant parents. The issues and problems identified in this study emerged from qualitative interviews with Chinese parents and key informants, the latter consisting of, child care practitioners, community workers, and educators. This study found that problems experienced by Chinese parents regarding child care are similar to those of Canadian parents. For instance, the lack of affordable and available quality child care are common concerns. However, as discussed above, one significant difference identified is the Chinese parents' emphasis on a pedagogical approach to early childhood education as opposed to the playbased strategy advocated by preschool child care givers. One other finding is that although most Chinese immigrant children can converse in English, few can read or write basic English. While conversational ability is an integral part of learning a language, reading and writing are more important with regard to the effective and efficient adoption of a second language. This study concludes that preschool ESL training is a vital part of the solution for early and successful integration of Chinese children into Canadian society. How can planning address this problem? This study recommends that the Provincial Ministry of Women's Equality which is responsible for child care together with the Federal Ministries of Immigration, Human Resources and Health share information and develop programs that will provide immigrants with young children information related to the Canadian child care system. At the provincial level, the key is to develop a community-based child care delivery system. Child care policies and programs should be sufficiently flexible and sensitive to deal with immigrant child care requirements. The promotion of culturally sensitized, community-based child care facilities and programs should be developed by the Inter-Ministry Child Care Policy Coordination Committee working closely with relevant ministries and communities. At the Municipal level, it is crucial to establish and maintain up-to-date and accurate data bases to avoid ad hoc child care delivery systems and polices. Coordination and cooperation of the Richmond Planning, Community Services and Health Departments and local School District #38 would benefit not only immigrant children but all children in the community.

Chinese children are viewed not only as the raison d'etre of their parents, but also as contributors to their future well-being. The demands and expectations that shape the nurturing and education of young Chinese children have developed on the basis of these beliefs. In Richmond B.C., a community that has experienced a recent and rapid influx of Chinese immigrants, there has emerged an issue regarding the nature of preschool education. On the one hand, immigrant Chinese parents prefer a highly structured educational environment wherein English-as-a-Second language [ESL] instruction is emphasized. This kind of pedagogical approach, it is believed, will foster their children's integration into mainstream society. Early childhood educators and caregivers, on the other hand, favour an exclusively play-based learning strategy, one devoid of formal training in grammar and phonetics. These practitioners reject the reductionist approach advocated by parents in favour of what they view as a more wholistic pedagogy. This issue is further exacerbated by cultural barriers: first, owing to Confucian prescriptions against challenging authority, there exists a general reluctance on the part of Chinese immigrants to confront school officials; second, communication between the two sides is rendered difficult, if not impossible, by the language barrier. The purpose of this study is to foster better understanding on the part of child care policy makers regarding the educational needs and problems facing Chinese immigrant families residing in Richmond, B.C. Literature relevant to early childhood development within a multicultural framework was reviewed in this study. In particular, the development of ESL education for ethno-cultural preschoolers, the philosophy of early childhood pedagogy, the result of quality child care and issues pertinent to research terminology and techniques were closely examined. The literature reviewed was drawn predominantly from Canadian and American sources. Their texts were served to illustrate differences in philosophical and practical perspectives regarding child care. Chinese sources were also examined in order to explain cultural and ideological differences in the field of child care. A profile of the interviewees was developed based on quantitative data collected during interviews with 75 Chinese immigrant parents. The issues and problems identified in this study emerged from qualitative interviews with Chinese parents and key informants, the latter consisting of, child care practitioners, community workers, and educators. This study found that problems experienced by Chinese parents regarding child care are similar to those of Canadian parents. For instance, the lack of affordable and available quality child care are common concerns. However, as discussed above, one significant difference identified is the Chinese parents' emphasis on a pedagogical approach to early childhood education as opposed to the playbased strategy advocated by preschool child care givers. One other finding is that although most Chinese immigrant children can converse in English, few can read or write basic English. While conversational ability is an integral part of learning a language, reading and writing are more important with regard to the effective and efficient adoption of a second language. This study concludes that preschool ESL training is a vital part of the solution for early and successful integration of Chinese children into Canadian society. How can planning address this problem? This study recommends that the Provincial Ministry of Women's Equality which is responsible for child care together with the Federal Ministries of Immigration, Human Resources and Health share information and develop programs that will provide immigrants with young children information related to the Canadian child care system. At the provincial level, the key is to develop a community-based child care delivery system. Child care policies and programs should be sufficiently flexible and sensitive to deal with immigrant child care requirements. The promotion of culturally sensitized, community-based child care facilities and programs should be developed by the Inter-Ministry Child Care Policy Coordination Committee working closely with relevant ministries and communities. At the Municipal level, it is crucial to establish and maintain up-to-date and accurate data bases to avoid ad hoc child care delivery systems and polices. Coordination and cooperation of the Richmond Planning, Community Services and Health Departments and local School District #38 would benefit not only immigrant children but all children in the community. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to combine practice and research in a community agency. This study examined the extent and nature of the need for child care in Richmond, B.C. for parents who are employed or attending one of three institutions, located within close proximity of each other. The relationships between different variables were analyzed: age of child, type of care, hours of care and preferred location. The results of 237 families were compiled. Out of 237 families there was an indicated need for 217 children. The results indicated that there was a need for child care for children aged 0-13 years. The major types of care required were group care for children 0-5 years of age and out-of-school care for older children. Preferred location for care ranged from the vicinity of home and school to the parents' place of employment. Even though few preferred a centralized location, respondents indicated they were willing to relocate and assist in the development of a centralized facility. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The home as a site for childcare is linked to notions of 'good' parenting, and the employment of a nanny is often meant to create an extended family which enables a child to be nurtured in this private space. Qualitative interviews undertaken with fifty-one families and eleven nannies indicate that this childcare arrangement is complex and involves shifting and divergent constructions of what good parenting and good childcare are. This childcare arrangement often failed because of the complexities of the employer-employee relationship, and a failed attempt at familial attachment. A partial explanation as to why this fails is that some nannies view their employment as a 'bad' parenting strategy, and suggest that it is the parents who should be nurturing the children. This tension around the appropriateness of certain childcare strategies is indicative of discourses of proper parenting and maternal ideals, and is intimately connected to place. Expanding on this theme, interviews were undertaken with ten daycares in the city of Vancouver to examine how discourses of proper parenting are reworked in a 'public' space. This inquiry introduces more directly issues of class, opportunity and the socialization of children. The maternal ideals expressed in the first part of the study are reworked, and sometimes abandoned, in the delivery of public childcare services. Further, there is a process of normalization that takes place in the designation and segregation of children based on age, and whether they are 'typical' or 'special needs'. I argue that greater attention to emotion is needed in the study of childcare, and greater appreciation of difference is needed in the delivery of childcare. This thesis also questions its original premise, that of looking at childcare as public and private options, and of seeing childcare as an employment strategy.

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of a multi-media presentation relating to the topic of employer-supported child care in British Columbia in the business community. Changes in the knowledge and attitude of employers, as measured by a questionaire, were the determinants of the effectiveness of the presentation. Personnel officers from the public and private sector were selected for the study subjects. Support for this study was obtained from a professional association of personnel officers, which offered to host an educational seminar on this topic. This seminar is the treatment of the study and the members of the association who elected to attend this seminar are the subjects. This study was part of a larger study that was a joint research project between the University of British Columbia and Douglas College. Each institution supplied a principal investigator, project personnel and institutional resources. The author of this thesis was the project researcher. Funding for the project was received from the Child Care Initiatives Fund, Health and Welfare Canada. A section of the larger project's findings were extracted for this study. The field of employer-supported child care is relatively recent in Canada. Since 1964 when the Riverdale Hospital opened a child care facility in Toronto, there have been just over one hundred such employer-supported child care facilities set up. Many other companies have set up company-assisted child care options that also fall within the term "employer-supported child care," but no one to date has catalogued the total number of such initiatives. In British Columbia there have been four known employer-supported child care centres; one is no longer in existence. There has been considerable interest and activity in the provincial business community since this study began in 1988. However, other than M. Mayfield's survey of employer involvement in child care in British Columbia in 1984, no research studies have been conducted on this topic. No other known studies are currently taking place, although the Child Care Initiatives Fund, Health and Welfare Canada does list several demonstration projects currently underway across Canada. This study, then, is to develop an effective multi-media presentation relating to employer-supported child care that would educate and influence employers to consider involvement in the child care needs of their employees from an economic perspective. Measurement of knowledge and attitude toward the topic would be taken to determine the effectiveness of this presentation. Results showed that the presentation was effective. Whereas before the seminar 2.5% of the respondents reported their company's level of involvement in child care at the "developing an option" stage, by the conclusion of the seminar, 32.5% of the respondents reported interest at the same level. Responses showed that the perceived obstacles of "lack of evidence of child care services providing long term benefits to the company", "corporate liability", and "equity" were significantly reduced. Employers acquired knowledge about the topic through the seminar. Perceived obstacles were overcome. The respondents were motivated to become involved in employer-supported child care. A need for future studies has been identified from the interpretation of the research results and it is hoped that issues raised from this study will form future research questions. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

The home as a site for childcare is linked to notions of 'good' parenting, and the employment of a nanny is often meant to create an extended family which enables a child to be nurtured in this private space. Qualitative interviews undertaken with fifty-one families and eleven nannies indicate that this childcare arrangement is complex and involves shifting and divergent constructions of what good parenting and good childcare are. This childcare arrangement often failed because of the complexities of the employer-employee relationship, and a failed attempt at familial attachment. A partial explanation as to why this fails is that some nannies view their employment as a 'bad' parenting strategy, and suggest that it is the parents who should be nurturing the children. This tension around the appropriateness of certain childcare strategies is indicative of discourses of proper parenting and maternal ideals, and is intimately connected to place. Expanding on this theme, interviews were undertaken with ten daycares in the city of Vancouver to examine how discourses of proper parenting are reworked in a 'public' space. This inquiry introduces more directly issues of class, opportunity and the socialization of children. The maternal ideals expressed in the first part of the study are reworked, and sometimes abandoned, in the delivery of public childcare services. Further, there is a process of normalization that takes place in the designation and segregation of children based on age, and whether they are 'typical' or 'special needs'. I argue that greater attention to emotion is needed in the study of childcare, and greater appreciation of difference is needed in the delivery of childcare. This thesis also questions its original premise, that of looking at childcare as public and private options, and of seeing childcare as an employment strategy. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate