摘要：Three families who immigrated from Oromia, Ethiopia to Minnesota participated in a two-year interview study on out-of -home child care. The Oromo immigrants’ child care experiences had not been researched previously. In this study, parents provided information on their experiences with child care including: child care history, current child care, child care assistance, child care values and benefits, and projections for child care centers. Each family’s experience is presented as a portraiture that includes child care history, beliefs, values, and expectations. The Oromo immigrants’ experiences of child care and its connection with the families’ assimilation/acculturation process are analyzed. Parents reported satisfaction with child care programs, believed that programs helped acculturate their children as well as provided educational opportunities for children, and they preferred staff and programs that understood Oromo culture and customs. However, they experienced discrimination and miscommunication with child care providers and with the Child Care Assistance Program. Understanding immigrants’ expectations for child care will improve efforts to provide quality day care for children of immigrant families.
