PARENT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES AND PRESCHOOL PLAYGROUPS - THE PARTNERSHIP MODEL AND FUTURE MANAGEMENT POLICY

This article reconsiders the origins of 'self management' in pre-schoo l daycare services in the light of new data from a national study of p laygroups in England. In the absence of comprehensive nursery educatio n, playgroup provision has mushroomed in Britain. 'Parental involvemen t' has been a central premise in the philosophy of play-groups. Howeve r, data now available suggest that aspects of this premise require rea ssessment. The study establishes that 'parents' who are playgroup mana gers are in fact mothers mostly drawn from white, higher income, highe r educated groups. Furthermore, they tend to be resistant to taking on such management functions. Playgroup workers in turn are dissatisfied with available levels of support and effective management. Both group s however are subject to structural pressures - not least of which is women's increased participation in paid employment - and many of these pressures are likely to increase in the 1990s. The future management of this sector therefore requires reconsideration within a broader pub lic sector policy framework. Such an approach should address both the real cost of effective management and such employment policies as may facilitate the involvement of all parents - irrespective of gender, in come or ethnic group - in services for their children.