Informing Coastside Child Care: Understanding and Meeting the Child Care Needs of Coastside Families
At a time when shortfalls in meeting child care and development needs for San Mateo County Coastside families are a growing concern, The Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) completed a study to explore child care and development needs among Coastside parents in greater depth. Initiated and supported by Coastside Children’s Programs, and with additional support from the San Mateo County Office of Education and the San Mateo County Human Services Agency, the specific aim of the study was to determine whether and how parents are currently meeting their child care needs, as well as their perceived successes and challenges with their current care arrangements.
Data was gathered through a survey with Spanish and English speaking parents, specifically in the Mid and South Coastside communities of Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Half Moon Bay, Pescadero, La Honda, and San Gregorio. Subsequently, four focus groups were conducted with a subset of the survey participants, in several of the Mid and South Coastside communities. Working through multiple channels, including local media, elementary schools, community centers, county organizations, online parent groups, and child care providers, the study sought to contribute to the growth of public knowledge regarding Coastside child care, and to improved child care services and resources for Coastside families.
