Examining parental and staff perceptions of childcare service quality across competing business structures

THIS ARTICLE EXPLORES PARENTAL and childcare staff perceptions of quality across alternative childcare governance structures in Australia. A total of 21 childcare staff currently working within both 'non-profit' and 'for-profit' long day care centres were interviewed. In addition, 20 interviews with parents of children attending community-based, independent-private and corporate chain centres were conducted. Significant differences between the quality perceptions of parent and staff cohorts were found. In addition, inter-group differences were also observed. The results tentatively suggest that both parents and staff attach importance to both structural (regulated and flexible) and procedural elements of childcare service delivery-although parental age and caregiver experience appear to moderate the levels of importance assigned to identified quality dimensions.