Exploring the Educational Needs of Parents with Young Children in Institutional Childcare: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study is to conduct an in-depth exploration of the educational needs of parents whose infants and toddlers attend institutional childcare facilities. Through this, we aim to seek educational directions that reflect parental needs within the early childhood education field and provide foundational data for strengthening the connection between early childhood education settings and elementary education. The research method employed qualitative research through focus group interviews. It was conducted at two daycare centers located in City Y. Eight parents who voluntarily participated from each institution were divided into two groups for group interviews. All interview data were transcribed, and an iterative process of extracting and categorizing meaning units was performed using open coding analysis. Additionally, to ensure the reliability and validity of the research results, triangulation among researchers was conducted. The findings revealed that parents using daycare centers prioritized learning and strengthened educational linkage with elementary schools over basic care. Their demands also included character education to promote children's social and emotional development, enhanced digital competency, and increased reading activities. Furthermore, from an educational environment perspective, the need for expanding childcare center facilities and improving their quality was raised. This study is significant in that it presents directions for establishing cooperative linkages between early childhood education and elementary education through the analysis of these parental demands, and provides practical implications for future curriculum operation and childcare policy formulation.