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Major
International Studies
Anticipated Graduation Year
2022
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
With a substantial population size of immigrants, cities like Chicago have not made childcare easily attainable nor affordable, leaving a considerable number of residents unable to contribute economically or pursue other endeavors due to the inability to utilize childcare. This research aims to identify the obstacles that immigrant parents face when trying to access and locate various childcare options. The main research questions proposed for this study are: What barriers might immigrant families face when trying to access and navigate childcare and how can they be mitigated? How do childcare values and expectations vary within the immigrant communities? How can childcare be made more widely available for immigrant families? And how can childcare providers improve their services to better cater to the immigrant community? Specific research on childcare accessibility for immigrant families is minimal, especially pertaining specifically to Chicago and its diverse immigrant communities. The sample consists of various immigrant parents and caregivers from different countries sharing their experiences or lack thereof with childcare in semi-structured, in-depth, personal interviews. The data taken from the samples will help to generalize the exact need of immigrant families in relation to improving their reachability to affordable childcare. A better understanding of how access to childcare can help immigrants become more involved in the economic sector can help decision-makers improve access to this necessary service. This research aims to capture the voices and emotions from the immigrant community that has been left out of conversations regarding economic and educational opportunities as well as childcare choice for women.
Community Partners
Chicago Refugee Coalition
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. Ruth Gomberg-Muñoz
Supported By
Chicago Refugee Coalition Founder- Connor Mautner, Executive Director- Alisa Roadcup
Research Project Poster
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Equitable Childcare Accessibility for the Immigrant Community
With a substantial population size of immigrants, cities like Chicago have not made childcare easily attainable nor affordable, leaving a considerable number of residents unable to contribute economically or pursue other endeavors due to the inability to utilize childcare. This research aims to identify the obstacles that immigrant parents face when trying to access and locate various childcare options. The main research questions proposed for this study are: What barriers might immigrant families face when trying to access and navigate childcare and how can they be mitigated? How do childcare values and expectations vary within the immigrant communities? How can childcare be made more widely available for immigrant families? And how can childcare providers improve their services to better cater to the immigrant community? Specific research on childcare accessibility for immigrant families is minimal, especially pertaining specifically to Chicago and its diverse immigrant communities. The sample consists of various immigrant parents and caregivers from different countries sharing their experiences or lack thereof with childcare in semi-structured, in-depth, personal interviews. The data taken from the samples will help to generalize the exact need of immigrant families in relation to improving their reachability to affordable childcare. A better understanding of how access to childcare can help immigrants become more involved in the economic sector can help decision-makers improve access to this necessary service. This research aims to capture the voices and emotions from the immigrant community that has been left out of conversations regarding economic and educational opportunities as well as childcare choice for women.