Parents’ temporal perspectives of PreK/kindergarten

We show how temporally informed views of childhood can help us better understand parental actions and experiences. We do so by examining how parents made decisions about whether and where their child would attend a public PreK program. How parents spoke about their children's experiences showed that their understandings and decisions were grounded in their own pasts, as well as their children's more immediate moments, children's imagined futures, and the relational nature of 4K/childcare and kindergarten. Time was an ever-present construct as parents created understandings about the purposes of PreK and kindergarten and sought particular experiences and resources for their children. Considering the temporal nature of parenting draws attention to the dynamic interplay between parents and children, time, and institution. Here we can learn about what parents want for their children, how they seek it, and how we can create systems that increase access to worthwhile early education experiences for all families.