Helpers, mothers, and preachers: the multiple roles and discourses of family child care providers in an African-American community

This article examines the communication and discourse styles of African Ame rican family child care providers serving low-income families. In particula r, I look at the kinds of advice and help providers offer parents. Interpre tive techniques borrowed from literary theory are employed in the analysis of qualitative interview transcripts conducted with 7 African American fami ly child care providers. The analysis reveals the ways providers draw on bo th mainstream, professional ideas of how to provide appropriate family supp ort and more indigenous conceptions of effective help-giving in an African American community. Providers' abilities to use communication strategies fr om both the professional world of education and from their own cultural wor ld indicate a strength that may not be recognized. in training classes or p rogram planning. The multiple discourses-both professional and personal-ill ustrated in these inter-views suggest alternative models of family support and effective help-giving for early childhood caregivers and educators. Sug gestions for how training programs could build on providers' strengths are offered. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.