Including Parents in Evaluation of a Child Development Program: Relevance of Parental Involvement

Program evaluation practices in early childhood care and education have been underdeveloped compared to the larger field of educational evaluation. The inclination not to include parental views in evaluation is mainly a result of the problem of positive response bias. Researchers who study client satisfaction with educational or child care programs find that parental satisfaction ratings are mostly positive. This study helps address the problem by considering the influence of parental involvement and underscores the importance of considering parental satisfaction ratings in program evaluation. Purposive sampling was used. Parents of children in a child development program were given questionnaires assessing parental satisfaction with the program and their perceived involvement in the program. Regression analysis revealed that parental involvement positively predicted a parent's level of satisfaction with the program. To explore the specific areas of satisfaction in greater depth, cluster analysis was used to identify two distinct groups of parents based on their involvement. The differences and similarities between clusters are discussed. Results have implications for researchers, practitioners, administrators, and policy makers.