How does the Montrose community support its families and early childcare advocates in identifying applicable and available resources? This was the question posed to community members in the spring of 2019 when I took on the role of action researcher and conducted surveys and group interviews. My goal; to ascertain what tools parents used to get information about family and child-centered activities in Montrose. In conducting the research, certain trends began to appear, namely that the 30 and 40 year olds who made up the bulk of the blind surveys preferred Facebook as a primary source of information. In addition, it became clear that other resources were of importance too: print media, the rec center, the library, Twitter, Instagram, local schools and city website.
One caregiver’s comment echoed a recurring query among the survey and interview participants, “Can Montrose get some sort of local calendar that’s shared across organizations?” That is a valid question since the three main programming organizations in town for families and children (library, rec center and school district) all have calendars and events posted online. Yet according to public meeting minutes, two of the three organizations have not been discussing their print or social media practices to ensure accessibility for all families in Montrose.
The “Next Steps” phase of the project will include going before these organizations and perhaps other community members to share the research data and get their feedback. The community seems interested in the idea, but few groups or individuals are up to the challenge of helping to implement change, as one surveyed group stated, “People may like the idea of collaboration, but would rather wait until someone else takes the initiative.”
Improving access to information about children and family events is of interest to many individuals in Montrose and maybe local organizations will funnel their information to an existing online calendar. Or, perhaps online services like Bright By Text or Aunt Bertha’s webpage can provide the platform needed for multiple agencies to share their resources and events with families. It is imperative to garner input from as many different groups of parents and caregivers as possible. Regardless of the outcome, community members seeking change seem to share the values of researchers Zhang et al., who pointed out in a 2018 Early Childhood Education Journal article that, “a community can be a place for vibrant discussions, the sharing of new ideas, and the exchange of information.”
I am excited to see where the next steps of this research go and how the community will respond to the needs and desires of some of its most influential members: educators, families and children. Though the community has yet to find a reliable solution, I have found success as a community member and leader. This research experience strengthened my ties to community care providers and helped to establish me as a local leader and advocate for early childhood education, and I am committed to seeing this through to its conclusion, whenever or however it comes.
One caregiver’s comment echoed a recurring query among the survey and interview participants, “Can Montrose get some sort of local calendar that’s shared across organizations?” That is a valid question since the three main programming organizations in town for families and children (library, rec center and school district) all have calendars and events posted online. Yet according to public meeting minutes, two of the three organizations have not been discussing their print or social media practices to ensure accessibility for all families in Montrose.
The “Next Steps” phase of the project will include going before these organizations and perhaps other community members to share the research data and get their feedback. The community seems interested in the idea, but few groups or individuals are up to the challenge of helping to implement change, as one surveyed group stated, “People may like the idea of collaboration, but would rather wait until someone else takes the initiative.”
Improving access to information about children and family events is of interest to many individuals in Montrose and maybe local organizations will funnel their information to an existing online calendar. Or, perhaps online services like Bright By Text or Aunt Bertha’s webpage can provide the platform needed for multiple agencies to share their resources and events with families. It is imperative to garner input from as many different groups of parents and caregivers as possible. Regardless of the outcome, community members seeking change seem to share the values of researchers Zhang et al., who pointed out in a 2018 Early Childhood Education Journal article that, “a community can be a place for vibrant discussions, the sharing of new ideas, and the exchange of information.”
I am excited to see where the next steps of this research go and how the community will respond to the needs and desires of some of its most influential members: educators, families and children. Though the community has yet to find a reliable solution, I have found success as a community member and leader. This research experience strengthened my ties to community care providers and helped to establish me as a local leader and advocate for early childhood education, and I am committed to seeing this through to its conclusion, whenever or however it comes.
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