Empowering Low-Income Parents: The Role of Child Care.

This study examined the role of child care in empowering low-income parents. The study, which was part of a larger evaluation of the Committee for Boston Public Housing (CBPH), compared families with children in the Washington-Beech Community Preschool (WBCP), run by CBPH, with families at the Washington-Beech Housing Development whose children did not attend WBCP. WBCP was designed to provide an environment that fosters the social, motor and cognitive development of young children. The CBPH model posits that such programs, established in response to tenant needs and including parent involvement, will foster the empowerment of parents. Thirty-nine families, with children aged 2-5 years, were interviewed. Parents of children in WBCP were compared with those in two control groups: (1) parents whose children were always cared for by a parent; and (2) parents whose children were cared for by a provider other than WBCP or a parent. Items measured were the individual's sense of self-respect, belief in collective action, and ability to use social networks. Results showed that feelings of empowerment significantly increased over the course of the year for individual WBCP parents, while members of the other groups showed essentially no change. (SH)