Whole-day or half-day kindergarten? Chinese parents' perceptions, needs, and decisions in a privatised marketplace

This study contributes to the Western-normed whole-day versus half-day kindergarten debate with Asian-focused evidence from a longitudinal study on parental perceptions, needs, and decisions in the privatised kindergarten marketplace in Hong Kong. The parents of children attending the whole-day and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Children and youth services review 2019-10, Vol.105, p.104427, Article 104427
Main Authors: Lau, Michelle Marie, Li, Hui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Affordability
Decisions
Educational systems
Family work relationship
Kindergarten
Markets
Needs
Orientation
Ownership
Parenthood education
Parents & parenting
Perceptions
Residence
Work life balance
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Summary:This study contributes to the Western-normed whole-day versus half-day kindergarten debate with Asian-focused evidence from a longitudinal study on parental perceptions, needs, and decisions in the privatised kindergarten marketplace in Hong Kong. The parents of children attending the whole-day and half-day programmes were surveyed in the first two years of kindergarten. Both programmes were perceived to possess distinctive qualities and parents reflected an effortful quest for an optimal home–work–life balance. Two-step cluster analysis identified three parent profiles – the Slightest Needs, the Moderate Needs, and the Urgent Needs – differentiated by family income, parents' occupation and education, and residence ownership. Finally, logistic regression analyses predicting parental decisions found a shift from a socioeconomic orientation to an educational orientation. The findings indicate that the ‘either or’ thinking in this debate is problematic as what parents need is not the ‘best’ programme but the best ‘fit’. The 4As approach – allocation, affordability, availability, and accessibility, was proposed for policy refinement to cater for evolving societal, familial, and educational dynamics. •SES-differentiated profiles indicate parents different levels of demand for the whole-day programme.•Parents’ programme decision reflects their SES and concerns for children’s learning.•Both programmes have their pros and cons; parents need the best ‘fit’, not the ‘best’ programme.
ISSN:0190-7409
1873-7765
DOI:10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.104427