Doctoral Dissertation Research: Child Care Workers in Context: A Study of Family Day Care Providers in Illinois

本文比较了职业化和工会化作为促进家庭育儿工作者利益的手段。最初，定性方法将调查代表每个战略的两个伊利诺伊州竞选活动。职业化和工会运动的不同之处在于，它们依赖儿童发展专家或基层组织者；它们倡导更好的培训和认证或强调工人团结；以及它们为提高儿童保育标准或增加工人工资而进行的州游说努力。调查将评估每种运动在动员儿童保育工作者支持方面的成功。这项研究预计，成立工会运动对低收入的托儿工作者更具吸引力，而职业化运动应该得到已经接受过更好教育的托儿工作者的更好支持。

This dissertation compares professionalization and unionization as means for promoting the interests of family child-care workers. Initially, qualitative methods will investigate two Illinois campaigns representing each strategy. The professionalization and unionization campaigns differ in their reliance on child development experts or grassroots organizers; in their advocacy of better training and certification or their emphasis on worker solidarity; and in their state lobbying efforts for higher child care standards or increased pay for workers. Surveys will evaluate the success of each type of campaign in mobilizing support among child care workers. The study expects the unionization campaign to be more attractive to lower income child care workers while the professionalization campaign should be better supported by the child care workers who are already better educated.