Do Parents Benefit? Perspectives of Low-Income Parents Who Received a Free Early Readiness Program for Their Child

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover the interpretations and perspectives of 4 low-income parents who received a free early readiness program for their child. Two interviewees were parents who had a child enrolled the year data was collected, and the other two interviewees were parents whose children had participated previously in the early readiness program. The results of this study show that the early readiness program offered benefits to the parents as well as the child, regardless of enrollment year. The benefits include, but were not limited to, social support for parents, financial assistance, greater understanding of their children, and practical parenting ideas. The findings of this study supported the value of free early readiness programs for low-income parents. The discussion substantiates the findings of this study with previous research and concludes there were several identifiable benefits for the parents.