ABSTRACT
The growing number of working mothers in Indonesia has impacted on the increasing need for competent caregiver in order to optimize children’s development. The aim of this chapter is to examine the relations among parental involvement, mother-caregiver communication, caregiver-children interaction and attachment, and children’s cognitive development. This chapter is based on a study conducted at four daycare centers. The study involved 39 preschool children aged 2.5 to 6.4 years alongside their fathers and mothers as well as 16 caregivers who interact with the children daily. The results indicate that the mothers’ involvement and mother-caregiver communication, in addition to the interaction and attachment between the caregivers and the children, has positive correlation to the cognitive development of the children. The findings also indicate that parental support system should become an important factor to be developed in daycare centers for optimal cognitive development. Therefore, the development of parental support system becomes a strategic issue in early childhood education particularly in daycare centers in Indonesia. This chapter also discussed the development of the strategy to create parental support system in daycare centers.
