Exploring parents/carers' perceptions of the delivery of Early Years Education programs: a case study

[Extract] The idea that parent and carers' engagement in Early Years Education has a positive effect on student achievement is well established (Arthur, Beecher, Death, Dockett & Farmer, 2012; Billman, Geddes & Hedges, 2005; Blaise & Nuttall, 2011; Daniel, 2011; DEEWR, 2009). The Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment (DETE) has developed the Parent and Community Engagement Framework: Working Together to Maximise Student Learning (n.d.), and associated resources, to facilitate parents/carers, schools and communities in better responding to each others' needs. The framework [see Appendix 1] supports the reciprocal responsibility for schools, parents/carers and communities "to work together to maximise student learning outcomes" (DETE, n.d., p. 2).\ud \ud The Principal of Sunshine State School (SSS) has identified the need for gaining further understanding of (approximately 75) parent/carers' perceptions of, and engagement with, the delivery of Early Years Education programs offered at the school. The exploration of this issue includes: determining how parents/carers perceive their role at home in preparing their children for entering Preparatory at SSS; identifying reasons why parents/carers choose to engage with, or disengage from, participating in the early years education of their children; and developing strategies to seek to increase effective parent/carer participation in the early years education programs delivered at the school. In view of this identified need, the Principal engaged the services of a team of researchers from the School of Education, James Cook University, to discuss the undertaking of a possible research project. As a result of this discussion, it was decided that focus group interviews would be conducted with consenting parent/carers of children enrolled in the Preparatory year at the school to investigate their perspectives of the delivery of, and engagement with, the Early Years Education programs offered at Oonoonba State School and that a report – namely, this report – be prepared. \u