Parents’ Perceptions of the Early Childhood Development Programme

Abstract

The study establishes the parents` perceptions of the Early Childhood Development Programme. The study was motivated by mixed reactions by various stakeholders on the ECD programme. A qualitative approach was adopted in the study because it enabled to get an in- depth information from the parents in their natural setting. A case study design was adopted drawing on one school which was purposively sampled to obtain rich data. Semi- structured interviews were used to generate data. The study comprised ten parents who were purposively sampled. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The findings reveal that parents have varied perceptions about the ECD programme. The parents` perceptions fell in three categories which are reasonably positive, negative and undecided. Findings further reveal challenges such as misconceptions on play pedagogies and difficulty in paying levies on the part of parents. Strategies such as engaging parents in the ECD projects such as the nutrition garden and involvement in meetings were identified. The study recommended the scheduling of meetings after working hours or having two similar meetings to cater for working parents who cannot attend during working hours.