RESUMO
The aim of this research was to explore the elements that configure the quality of care among three Mexican same-sex planned families: two female-parented families (through donor insemination) and a male-parented one (through adoption). The first family consisted of two mothers and a 3-year-old daughter; the second one had two mothers and a 1.5-year-old set of boy twins and the third family consisted of two fathers and a 2-year-old girl. It was assumed that Ainsworth's notions of quality of care organization are useful in order to understand caregiver-child attachment relationships, regardless of the parents' sexual orientation. A collective case study was selected due to the fact that these families shared their "unconventionality" (i.e., parents were not heterosexual) and the fact that they were planned, but each one constituted a particular case with a unique configuration. Four trained independent observers used the q-sort methodology (Maternal Behavior Q-Sort and Attachment Q-Sort) to describe parents' and children's behavior, respectively. The findings showed that parents were highly sensitive and all children used them as a secure base. To provide an in-depth examination of which elements configure the quality of care, a semi-structured interview with each parent was carried out. Through a thematic analysis, an over-arching theme named Affections and Emotions was identified, together with six subthemes: (1) Creating an affective environment; (2) Being available; (3) Acknowledging and expressing emotions; (4) Perceiving, interpreting and responding adequately to the child's real self; (5) Taking the child's perspective into account; and (6) Agreeing on roles and dividing the tasks. In order to showcase the particular configuration of gay parenting, the male-headed family narrative is reported in detail, because gay parents have been perceived as violating traditional gender roles as well as the hegemonic model of masculinity. The findings were consistent with the notion of quality of care as proposed by Ainsworth and her collaborators. The implications of the methodological device and research regarding same-sex planned families are discussed so as to understand the organization of the caregiving environment.
RESUMO
A veinte años de la universalización de la Educación Inicial (EI) se reportan elevados niveles de ausentismo y asistencia intermitente en niños y niñas que asisten a los niveles de 4 y 5 en escuelas públicas. Montevideo, Canelones y Tacuarembó cuentan con escuelas de Contexto Sociocultural Crítico. Nos propusimos comprender qué factores inciden en la asistencia intermitente y la deserción en EI, desde el discurso de cinco madres de familia. Producto de las entrevistas a profundidad emergieron diversas categorías que dan cuenta de la multicausalidad del fenómeno, así como estrategias que contribuyen a revertirlo con la participación de todos actores y actrices involucrados e involucradas. Consideramos que el afianzamiento del vínculo familiaescuela- comunidad (Educación Inicial de Base Segura) y el fortalecimiento de las redes sociales potencian la permanencia del niño y la niña en el sistema educativo.
Even 20 years from the anchoring of an Early Childhood program into our educational system, absenteeism and erratic assistance are still a challenge public schools face. Given that schools in Montevideo, Canelones and Tacuarembó encounter an awry sociocultural background, we were determined to find the reasons behind such high levels of absences and desertions. Five interviews were done thoroughly to different mothers; which helped us pinpoint specific causes to understand the multi-causality of the problem, as well as some integrated strategies that respond to the interests and motivations of the actors involved. We are confident that having a functional network of attachment bonds (Secure Base Childcare) can assure stability for the development of children at young ages.
Vinte anos depois da universalização da Educação Infantil (EI) reportam-se problemas na assistência e abandono escolar em crianças dos níveis 4 e 5 das escolas públicas. Montevideo, Canelones e Tacuarembó contam com escolas pertencentes aos Contextos Socioculturais Críticos. Propusemo-nos a compreender os fatores que incidem na frequência e o abandono em EI, a partir das experiências de cinco mães de família. As principais informaçãµes obtidas através das entrevistas em profundidade geraram categorias que evidenciam a multicausalidade do fenômeno em questão e algumas estratégias possíveis mediante a participação dos atores educativos. Consideramos que a estabilização do vínculo família-escola e o fortalecimento das redes sociais potenciam a permanência das crianças no sistema educativo.
