The Role of Quality Daycare in Children’s Socio-Emotional Development: The Case of Yeka Sub-City Government Daycare Centers
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Date
2025-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The overall aim of this research study was to examine the factors impacting children’s socio-emotional development at daycare, specifying the contributions of the daycare context and environmental factors, parents’ engagement, caregiver-child relationships, opportunities for facilitating relationships, and incidences of conflict. With five specific objectives, this research study examined the environment in daycare, its quality, measured the roles of parents and caregivers, and identified predictors of children’s socio-emotional development at daycare. The research design was quantitative, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire that was distributed to parents of selected daycare centers. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, a Pearson correlation, and multiple regression; all quantitative analysis was conducted with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study results demonstrated a strong positive association between independent variables and children’s socio-emotional development (R = .931), and collectively the predictors explained a substantial amount of the variance in the dependent variable. The regression analysis also indicated that the overall model was statistically significant (F (5,116) = 151.977, p < .001). The strongest Table 1Theoretical Frame work predictor was Conflict Resolution (β = .783, p < .001), followed by Social Opportunities (β = .119, p = .004) and Daycare Setting (β = .088, p = .027). Parental Involvement and Caregiver-Child Relationship were also predictive of socio-emotional development, but the effect was positive and not statistically significant. Overall, the study findings indicate that daycare environments that cultivate positive conflict resolution, promote social opportunities, and provide a safe and stimulating environment are most beneficial to children's development of socio-emotional skills. Therefore, collaboration among caregivers, parents, and policymakers to improve daycare quality and develop policy that incorporates socio-emotional learning and conflict management strategies into early childhood care programs is recommended.
Keywords: socio-emotional development, daycare setting, parental involvement, caregiver-child relationship, social opportunities, conflict resolution
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Keywords
socio-emotional development, daycare setting, parental involvement, caregiver-child relationship, social opportunities, conflict resolution