Voices of parents in poverty : what do low-income parents need to support their young children?

This paper examines the needs of low-income parents in supporting the development, education, and well-being of their young children using a collective case study design informed by multivocal ethnography. Findings were obtained from a collective case study by analyzing qualitative interview data from fourteen participants including three mothers, three teachers, three administrators, two district leaders, and three policymakers. The overall findings suggest that preschool administrators were the most aligned in their understanding of low-income parents' needs as expressed by parents, whereas teachers, district leaders, and policymakers were much less aligned with parents' perceptions. Furthermore, the needs identified by low-income parents fell into the basic needs categories of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, whereas needs identified by individuals in positions of power fell into the growth needs category. Finally, individuals in positions of power all identified needs such as training, classes, or workshops that emphasized knowledge transfer from an expert to low-income parents.