Do You Hear What I Say? Attending to the Voices of Prince Edward Island Parents

The purpose of this research was to obtain a perspective from Prince Edward Island parents of preschool children, regarding their views on what is important for them, and for their children, in terms of understanding healthy development and parental support. Specifically the research set out to asses: (a) whether parents believed they had a meaningful voice in program or policy developments which impact children and families; (b) what concerns they might have in relation to child development, childcare, and early childhood education in general; and (c) whether they identified any gaps in current services or programs.

Do You Hear What I Say? Attending to the Voices of Prince Edward Island Families, captured the opinions and perspectives of parents of preschool children from across the province of PEI regarding their views of early childhood and parenting. Parents indicated that they wanted high quality accessible, affordable childcare, effective communication with program developers and policy makers, ongoing opportunities to provide input into decisions which affect them as parents or their children, programs and services which reflect current research and best practices, and information on child development and parenting techniques. In general PEI parents want to be understood and have their needs responded to in a meaningful way.

The findings from the research may be meaningful for program and policy developers interested in the health and well-being of families with young children.