School-based parents’ groups - a politics of voice and representation?

In this paper we consider two discussion-based parents’ forums at two secondary schools. We ask whether such forums can be considered as part of the small, local associative mechanisms which theorists claim have the potential to encourage a more vibrant and interactive public conversation concerning state provided welfare services. We conclude that they cannot – at least in any simple way. However, a study of the forums does raise several interesting issues to do with parents’ relationships with schools, the differential resources particular class fractions bring to bear in developing their relations with teachers, and the responses of the schools to parental voices

Class, culture and agency: Researching parental voice

This paper explores the differential possession and deployment of social, cultural and material resources by parents, and the effect of these processes on their willingness and ability to be involved with and intervene in their children’s school life – what we have called parental voice. The data presented here is drawn from a study of parents at two secondary schools, a sub-sample of data from a larger study involving six schools. We consider the social positioning and behaviour of three cohorts of parents, those demonstrating high, low and intermediate levels of intervention with the school. Our conclusions stress both the similarities and differences in parents’ experience of voice. Certainly parental access to and deployment of a number of social resources significantly affected how often, how easily and over what range of issues they approached the school. However, we also describe the overall character of parental voice in these two schools as individual, cautious and insecure

'Making up' the middle-class child: families, activities and class dispositions

In this paper we draw on data collected from a recent qualitative project to highlight the enthusiasm of middle class parents for enrolling their under-5s in ‘enrichment’ activities (extra-curricular creative and sporting classes). We seek to identify the part activities play in parental strategies for class reproduction. We first consider the broader issue of children and consumption, drawing out the way in which consumption and leisure activities are highly classed, and focusing on notions of taste and distinction. Then using examples from the data, we emphasise the sense of urgency and responsibility parents felt concerning their child’s development and the classed and gendered involvement of parents. We conclude that enrichment activities are one response to the anxiety and sense of responsibility experienced by middle class parents as they attempt to ‘make up’ a middle class child in a social context where reproduction appears uncertain

'I think a lot of it is common sense...' Early Years students, professionalism and the development of a vocational habitus

This paper reports on research from a small-scale project investigating the vocational training of students in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in England. We draw on data from interviews with 42 students and five tutors in order to explore the students’ understandings of professionalism in early years. In the paper, we discuss first, the then Labour Government’s drive to ‘professionalise’ the workforce and second, critically analyse the concept of professionalism, drawing on sociological literature. We then turn to the data, and argue that students’ understandings of professionalism are limited to generic understandings of ‘professional’ behaviour (reliability, politeness, punctuality and so on). The idea of their occupation being a repository of a particular knowledge and skills set is undercut by the students’ emphasis on work with young children being largely a matter of ‘common sense’. Our fourth point is to highlight the processes by which students are inducted into a respectable and responsible carer identity, as illustrated by an emphasis on clothes and appearance. We conclude that the version of professionalism offered to students training at this level is highly constrained, and discuss the implications of this

The 'childcare champion'? New Labour, social justice and the childcare market

Childcare as a policy issue has received unprecedented attention under New Labour, through various aspects of The National Childcare Strategy introduced in 1998. This policy focus looks set to continue, with childcare likely to be a major topic in the next manifesto. Early Years care and education is a productive area for New Labour as initiatives here can address several agendas: increasing social inclusion, revitalizing the labour market, and raising standards in education. The provision of childcare is seen as having the potential to bring women back into the workforce, modelling childrearing skills to parents understood as being in need of such support, and giving children the skills and experience they need to succeed in compulsory education. The existing market in childcare is a largely private sector one with the government recently introducing tax credits designed to make childcare more affordable and accessible to lower income parents. This paper draws on material gathered during a two year ESRC funded project looking at the choice and provision of childcare in London. It argues firstly that social justice in childcare is currently understood to be primarily a matter of access, and secondly demonstrates that even for privileged middle class consumers, the childcare market is a very ‘peculiar’ one, especially when compared to the markets of economic theory. We conclude by commenting on the lack of parental voice shaping the future direction and development of the childcare market

Metropolitan mothers: Mothers, mothering and paid work

This paper reports on the interim findings from a two year ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) -funded project exploring parental choice of child care for pre school children. The fieldwork is based in two predominantly middle class areas in London. The vast majority of the respondents to date are women, many of whom are in paid employment. This paper draws on the literature about mothering, motherhood and identity to explore how these professional middle class women experience shifts in their self-identity. It considers how the women respond to the emotional and physical labour required of them by their roles as both worker and mothers, how they negotiate the tensions between the two, and how couples adapt to managing employment, childcare and a household. It also briefly considers the childcare roles and practices of the fathers. It concludes that despite the social and economic advantages of these middle class families, the adults are not presenting a serious challenge to a traditional understanding of family relationships

'I'm so much more myself now, coming back to work' - working class mothers, paid work and childcare

This paper explores the ways in which working class mothers negotiate mothering and paid work. Drawing on interviews with 70 families with pre-school children, we examine how caring and working responsibilities are conceptualised and presented in mothers’ narratives. Mothers showed a high degree of commitment to paid work and, in contrast to findings from an earlier study with middle class and professional mothers, did not feel that keeping their children at home with them was always the best option for the children. We suggest that working class mothers in the labour market remain at risk of being defined as inadequate mothers because of a middle class emphasis on intense maternal engagement with the child as a key aspect of ‘good’ mothering

Local links, local knowledge : choosing care settings and schools

This paper draws on data from two recently completed ESRC-funded projects in order to examine class differences and similarities around choice of school and choice of childcare. We argue here that there is every reason to believe that in many circumstances, within its particular mechanisms and practices, choice produces specific and pervasive forms of inequity.The processes by which working class parents in one study chose care settings and schools could be seen as less skilled, less informed, less careful than the decision-making of many of the middle class respondents. However, this is not an argument we advance, noting instead that the practices and meanings of choice are subject to significant social, cultural and economic variations in terms who gets to choose, who gets their choices, and what, how and why people choose when they are able to. We argue here that there are alternative sets of priorities in play for our working class respondents, involving attachments to the communal and the local

Grazing Fees: An Overview and Current Issues

Charging fees for grazing private livestock on federal lands is a long-standing but contentious practice. Generally, livestock producers who use federal lands want to keep fees low, while conservation groups and others believe fees should be increased. The formula for determining the grazing fee for lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service uses a base value adjusted annually by the lease rates for grazing on private lands, beef cattle prices, and the cost of livestock production. The collected fees are divided among the Treasury, states, and federal agencies. Fee reform was attempted but not adopted in the 1990s. Current issues include instances of grazing without paying fees, efforts to retire certain grazing permits, and a broad approach to buy out grazing permittees. This report will be updated as needed

Family and Self-Care Management of HIV infected Women and Their HIV infected Children

FAMILY AND SELF-CARE MANAGEMENT OF HIV INFECTED WOMEN AND THEIR HIV INFECTED CHILDREN Carol Ann Vincent Background: The aim of this study was to test a hypothesized model (Vincent Model) based on the theoretical and empirical literature that examines maternal factors (quality of life; depression; capacity for self-care in the context of parenting; and clinical factors) and family management factors (condition management ability; family life difficulty; and condition management effort) which may affect outcomes in HIV infected children. Methods: Self-report questionnaires and chart abstraction were used to gather data for this descriptive, cross-sectional study on a sample of 67 HIV infected mothers and their HIV infected children with whom they lived and for whom they were the primary caregiver. Participants were recruited from four pediatric HIV specialty clinics in the United States. Multivariate and binary logistic regression analyses was used to test the hypothesized model. Results: The major findings in this study are 1) quality of life factors (bodily pain, general health, and vitality) and self-care were associated with the mothers\u27 ability to manage the child\u27s\u27 condition; 2) quality of life factors (bodily pain and role-emotional limitations) and self-care were associated with family life difficulty; 3) quality of life factors (general health and mental health) were associated with the mothers\u27 condition management effort; 4) maternal depression was associated with the children\u27s\u27 outcomes (CD4 and HIV viral load); 5) maternal HIV viral load, depression, self-care and quality of life factor (physical functioning) were associated with children\u27s outcomes (HIV viral load). There were no significant associations between family management and child outcomes in this model; thus, family management did not mediate the relationship between maternal and child factors; and 6) mothers reported the presence of stigma in their lives. Conclusions: While further testing of the Vincent Model is needed in larger populations, the results underscore the importance of assessing both psychosocial and clinical measures in mothers and children. Finally, advocacy for the appropriate care of individuals infected with HIV as well as for the special needs of these family members is crucial