DOCUMENT RESUME ED 394 728 PS 024 187 AUTHOR Callister, Paul; And Others TITLE Striking a Balance: Families, Work, and Early Childhood Education. INSTITUTION New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Wellington. REPORT NO ISBN-0-908916-85-X PUB DATE 95 NOTE 208p.; Research was supported by grants from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. AVAILABLE FROMNZCER Distribution Services, P.O. Box 3237, Wellington, New Zealand. PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC09 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Day Care; Early Childhood Education; *Employed Parents; Employment; *Family (Sociological Unit); *Family Work Relationship; Fathers; Foreign Countries; *Leaves of Absence; Literature Reviews; Mothers; Parent Attitudes; Parent Responsibility; *Parents; Part Time Employment; Young Children IDENTIFIERS Australia; Europe; *Family Leave; New Zealand; *Parental Leave; Sweden ABSTRACT This study examines the connections between work, families, and early childhood education, and analyzes international trends and perspectives on parental leave. Chapter 1, "Introduction," shows that the increase in paid work by mothers makes families, work, and education important research and policy issues, and surveys reasons for this increase. Chapters 2 to 5 are international literature reviews that include research and policy documents from North America, the European community, Australia, the Nordic countries, and New Zealand. Chapter 2 introduces the literature reviews and discusses theories, models, and definitions of families, work, and education as used in the report. Chapter 3 reviews literature on the birth of the child and subsequent care by its parents in the early months of life, as well as parental involvement in paid work. Chapter 4 reviews international literature that links child care provision to the participation in paid work of parents with young children. Chapter 5 examines literature on the flexible forms of work undertaken by parents, especially part-time work by men and women. Chapter 6 focuses on case studies of employment and child care arrangements among New Zealand families. Chapter 7 analyzes patterns of paid work for two-parent families, from the early months of a child's life through late school. Chapter 8 summarizes the findings on leave, parents and paid work, related childhood education issues, and flexible workplaces and work practices. Chapters 1-7 contain references. (TM) ********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** U S D AAAA MENT OFEDUCATION and improvement Office of Educattonal Research INFORMATION EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES CENTER (ERIC) been reprOduCed as XTOrs document haS tecerned from the person ororganQatron puratnaung made to nnorove 0 Nri.upr cnanges nave been reproductron quality staled in tnis 00Cu Points of view or opinionsrepresent offictal merit do not necessarily OEM posrtron co pohcy or PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) BEST COPY AVAILABLE Sts .1Pir 4 a nce Families, Work, and Early Childhood Education Paul Callister and Valerie N. Podmore with Judith Galtry and Theresa Sawicka A joint project between Paul Callister cNew Zealand Council and Associates for Educational Research New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Wellington 1995 - A joint project between the New Zealand Council for Educational Research, Wellington, and Paul Cal lister & Associates, Paekakariki. The research was supported by grants from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. © NZCER and Paul Cal lister & Associates, 1995 ISBN 0-908916-85-X Published by the New Zealand Council for Educational Research P 0 Box 3237 Wellington Distributed by NZCER Distribution Services P 0 Box 3237 Wellington New Zealand ii 'i ABSTRACT This multi-disciplinary study examines the interface between work, families, and early childhood education, and includes an analysis of international trends and perspectives on parental leave. An extensive literature review examines these issues, and discusses "equality" and "difference" in women's and men's use of parental leave and participation in paid work. The first part of the review focuses on pertinent issues around the birth of a child and the early months of children's lives. Reference is made to parental-leave models from a range of countries including the United States, the Nordic countries with specific reference to Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand. The situation regarding fathers and parental leave is discussed; relevant literature on breastfeeding, maternal and child health, parental leave, and participation in paid work is reviewed; and the costs and benefits of parental leave are outlined. In the second part of the review, there is an emphasis on issues related to parents in paid work who have infants and children aged under 5 years. The topic of early childhood education and parents in paid work is examined, drawing on international research. Research and policy analyses on flexible forms of work and childcare are then reviewed, with an account of international findings on women and part-time paid work, a discussion on men and part- time work, and an outline of the costs and benefits of flexible forms of paid work. Case studies of families' patterns of paid work and early childhood education and care arrangements are proviucd. The case studies describe in depth the experiences of 11 families drawn from an earlier larger-scale study. In the case studies, the meanings of the parents' descriptions of their participation in the paid work force, their early childhood education and care arrangements, and their experiences of parental leave are examined. In addition, there is an analysis of census data on patterns of paid work for mothers in New Zealand 2-parent families, from the early months of a child's life through to the later period at school. International comparisons of parents' participation in paid work are included, with a focus on what could be seen as the two extremes of Sweden and the United States. Some key research findings include: Policies at a national level on early childhood education and care, the labour market, income slipport, and health can have a significant impact on patterns of paid and unpaid work for men and men, particularly in the first months following the birth of a child. The emerging concept of "family friendly" workplaces has the potential to assist employees to balance paid work and family responsibilities more effectively. There is certainly scope for more workplaces to be made family friendly. However, there are specific limitations in implementing family friendly practices. Many workers appear to need policies developed at a national level to assist them in striking a good balance between paid work and family life. In many countries, including New Zealand, the design of parental-leave policies has been based around issues of pregnancy and childbirth, but has not explicitly taken into account the issue of breastfeeding. There is potential for conflict between factors which encourage or compel women to have minimal breaks from paid work following the birth of a child and health policies which encourage the uptake and continuation of breastfeeding. Unless provisions are made for paid leave, or significant reforms occur in the workplace, there can be conflict for women wanting to remain attached to the work force and to breastfeed. In particular, this is the case for women in low-income _J occupations, which in New Zealand include a significant number of Maori and Pacific Island mothers. While in most societies there has been considerable focus on encouraging women to seek equality with men in paid work, there has been little focus on encouraging equality in unpaid work, and in particular childcare.Until recently, this has included little statutory support for fathers taking parental leave. However, the Nordic counties provide examples of how this policy balance can be altered. Labour-market flexibility appears to be driven primarily by employers' needs to become more internationally competitive. At times this now means that many employees are under increased pressure to work longer hours, creating potential conflicts between paid work and family responsibilities. But there are also examples of employee-driven flexibilities which lead to a better balance between paid work and family life. Recent studies suggest there is a need to reconceptualise part-time work, and for policies which balance hours of work and flexible options within workplaces. The importance of policies which promote the provision of high-quality early childhood education and care services is supported by the international research reviewed and also by the case studies. Parents in paid work are striving to balance their young children's needs and their own needs, which can lead to their using several early childhood educatien and care services concurrently. Parents are concerned that early childhood education and care arrangements meet the emotional needs of their children during the first years of life, and that 4-year-old children receive adequate cognitive and language stimulation. Language maintenance appears a priority for some parents with children at a kohanga reo or Pacific Island early childhood centre. Migant needs, including young children's