어린이집 평가인증 컨설턴트의 컨설팅과정 들여다보기

A study on Looking through Consulting of Childcare Accreditation Consultants

The purpose of this research was to provide data to help foster expertise for consultants as well as to improve quality of care by identifying areas of improvement in daycare evaluation and accreditation consulting based on experiences of consultants. Participants in this research were eight daycare center directors who were appointed by the support center for childcare in area A and B to serve as evaluation and accreditation consultants. Semi-structured interviews based on a discussion guide were conducted twice with each participant. Materials from interview sessions and summary of results were collected, transcribed, classified, and analyzed. This research found that consultants regularly participate in various consultant education and training sessions. They are also making efforts on their own to develop and strengthen their skills and competencies. They provide individual support to daycare centers by providing specific examples or guidance on updates to evaluation criteria, and providing emotional support to childcare providers facing challenges at work. They try to use discretion in word choice when writing the report. Although consulting compensation is considered appropriate as volunteer service given specified hours required, they express the need to adjust the compensation based on required level of expertise, time, effort, and distance to travel. In conclusion, systematic and specialized training sessions to develop their expertise are needed to resolve challenges faced by them. Centralized development and deployment of standardized consulting materials are needed to minimize challenges during consulting and to provide professional and objective consulting.