미국(NAEYC)과 한국 유아교육기관 평가의 부모참여 비교 연구

Comparative Study on the Parents’ Participation of as an Evaluation Indicator of Early Childhood Institutions in Korea and the United States (NAEYC)

본 연구의 목적은 미국 NAEYC의 부모관련 영역 및 부모 참여 형태를 우리나라유치원, 어린이집 평가와 비교 분석하여 평가지표 발달에 도움이 되는 시사점을 제공하는데 있다. 이를 위해 현재 시행되고 있는 미국 NAEYC 평가인증, 유치원 평가, 어린이집 평가인증 중 부모관련 영역 지표가 제시되어 있는 온·오프라인 문서를 대상으로 내용분석을 시행하였다. 그 결과 우리나라 평가에 비해 미국 NAEYC의 평가는 구체적이고 세부적인 지침을 마련하여 보다 적극적으로 부모 및 가족을 참여시켰 다. 또한 NAEYC는 평가 항목에 의무적으로 부모 설문지를 포함하여 부모가 평가에 참여하게 하고 평가 결과를 상세히 공개하고 있다. 반면 우리나라 유치원과 어린이집 평가의 경우 부모 참여 형태가 제한되고 부분적으로 축소되고 있는 실정이다. 부 모 참여가 문서상 형식적인 형태가 아닌 기관과 가정이 협력하여 유아교육기관의 질을 높이려는 노력을 확인하는 방안으로 활용되어야 한다. 미국 NAEYC 평가인증 지표의 부모관련 내용과 부모참여 형태를 우리나라 실정에 맞게 차용하여 부모만족도 조사를 강화하는 것을 정책적 시사점으로 제안한다.

Major transitions related to the evaluation and accreditation of early childhood institutions have recently occurred in Korea. Such changes relate to the integrated evaluation of kindergarten and child care centers. It has been 10 years since the evaluation of the early childhood institution, and now is a good time to revisit the existing evaluation indicators. Early childhood institutions have expanded quantitatively as a result of government-initiated policies; hence, parents are now able to choose the suitable institution from among a wide range of selections. Furthermore, building positive relationships among institutions and families has a positive influence on the children and the quality of the programs themselves. Hence, identifying how parents participate in the evaluation of early childhood institutions is necessary. In relation to this, the purpose of this study was to provide suggestions to improve the Korean national evaluation criteria through a comparison and analysis of parents’ participation as an evaluation indicator in the NAEYC in the US and in Korean kindergarten and child care centers. For the study, resources like official government documents and web-based contents related to parents’ participation as an evaluation indicator were collected from Websites. As a result, the NAEYC provides detailed guidance to parents and families as part of evaluation indicators to determine parents’ active participation and involvement. It is a required part of an evaluation process tool. The results of the survey were used to check and verify the quality of the institution being evaluated. In order to carry out the proper evaluation of Korean kindergarten and child care centers, authorities should consider parents’ participation and how they experience the improvements. Furthermore, providing the indicators to check out the cooperation of institutions and families towards the common goal of quality improvement is also important. The study suggests that more active parents’ participation, which can be solicited through detailed surveys, should be required in the evaluation process of Korean kindergarten and child care centers.