Parental Involvement and Family Support in Creating Conducive Preschool Physical Environments in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Suitable preschool physical environments (including classrooms, outdoor area, equipments and learning materials) support children’s learning and development. Appreciably, some early childhood educationists term the physical environments as the third teacher; after adults and peers. This study was prompted by earlier research in Kenya that had found unsupportive physical environments in most preschools, and very low parental involvement in collaborating with preschools. The researcher endeavoured to establish whether the level of suitability of preschool physical environments was related to the levels of parental involvement in collaborating, but the relationship was found to be insignificant. An investigation on what may account for the differences in the levels of the suitability of environments revealed that different family members play different roles in this regard, particularly in rural areas. The study recommended that parents and other family members should be sensitised on the value of preschool physical facilities in order to raise their levels of involvement. Further, suggestions on local strategies of raising levels of involvement were made