Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents' experiences in preschool environments

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.07.008Get rights and content

Highlights

  • This study examined sexual minority and heterosexual adoptive parents of preschoolers.

  • Most parents were open about their LG and adoptive family status, and had not encountered challenges.

  • Parents who experienced challenges typically described implicit forms of marginalization (e.g., insensitive language).

  • Parents’ suggestions for teachers included reading about, and tailoring assignments to meet the needs of, diverse families.

Abstract

Little research has examined the school experiences of lesbian/gay (LG) parent families or adoptive parent families. The current exploratory study examined the experiences of 79 lesbian, 75 gay male, and 112 heterosexual adoptive parents of preschool-age children with respect to their (a) level of disclosure regarding their LG parent and adoptive family status at their children's schools; (b) perceived challenges in navigating the preschool environment and advocating on behalf of their children and families; and (c) recommendations to teachers and schools about how to create affirming school environments with respect to family structure, adoption, and race/ethnicity. Findings revealed that the majority of parents were open about their LG and adoptive family status, and had not encountered challenges related to family diversity. Those parents who did experience challenges tended to describe implicit forms of marginalization, such as insensitive language and school assignments. Recommendations for teachers included discussing and reading books about diverse families, tailoring assignments to meet the needs of diverse families, and offering school community-building activities and events to help bridge differences across families.

Section snippets

LG parents and early childhood settings

Research on LG parents’ experiences in schools is limited, and has tended to focus on LG parents of school-age children. Speaking to issues of explicit exclusion, the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) surveyed 588 LGBT parents from across the US, most of whom were women and had a child in elementary school, and found that about one in six parents reported feeling that school personnel failed to acknowledge their type of family (15%) or felt that they could not fully

Adoptive parents and early childhood settings

Like LG parent families, adoptive families are also vulnerable to explicit and implicit forms of marginalization related to their family structure within the school setting. Further, many children who are adopted are a different race than their parents, which introduces another form of difference to their families that may not be acknowledged or understood. Adoptive families may face marginalization related to their multiracial family status, and adopted children of color may face stigma

Parents’ strategies for minimizing exclusion and marginalization

Aware of their vulnerability in the school setting, LG parents and adoptive parents may explicitly address their family structure with their children's schools, thereby communicating their stance as active and involved parents who will not accept discriminatory treatment. In Casper and Schultz's (1999) study of LG parents of children who ranged widely in age, some parents described a proactive approach to their children's schools, whereby they introduced themselves, informed the school of their

Research questions

Based upon the limited work on LG and adoptive parents’ experiences intersecting with schools, particularly in early childhood, this study seeks to answer several research questions:

  • 1.

    To what extent do LG and heterosexual adoptive parents disclose key aspects of their family structure (i.e., parent sexual orientation, adoptive family status) to teachers and schools? Further, how do parents explain their decision not to disclose such details?

  • 2.

    What challenges do LG and heterosexual adoptive parents

Description of the sample

Data come from 266 parents in 142 families. In 36 lesbian-parent families, both partners participated, and in seven lesbian-parent families, one partner participated (n = 79 parents). In 36 gay-male-parent families, both partners participated, and in three gay-male-parent families, one partner participated (n = 75 parents). In 52 heterosexual-parent families, both partners participated, and in eight heterosexual-parent families, one partner participated (in all cases it was the mother; n = 112

Results

The findings are discussed in three major sections. First, participants’ disclosure practices regarding their families are discussed, followed by perceived challenges in the school setting, and finally, participants’ suggestions to schools and teachers (see Table 1).

Discussion

The current study represents one of the few investigations to explore the preschool experiences and challenges of LG and adoptive parents. The findings provide insights into the types of reformative steps that school administrators and teachers can make toward ensuring that their schools and classrooms are inclusive and affirming environments for all types of families.

Most parents described an open and proactive approach with regard to discussing the details of their family structure with their

Limitations

This study has several notable limitations. First, the sample was largely well-educated, financially well-off, and mostly Caucasian. LG parents with less education may be less “out” to schools (Nixon, 2011) and may encounter unique difficulties in terms of advocating for their children. Second, the sample was not nationally representative. Because of the biases associated with self-selection, the findings cannot be viewed as representative of any particular group. Third, the study examined only

Conclusions

This study builds on the little existing research on the school-related perceptions and experiences of LG parents (Kosciw & Diaz, 2008) and adoptive parents (Nowak-Fabrykowski et al., 2009). The findings suggest that most parents were open about their family structure with their children's schools, and few reported sexuality-, adoption-, or race-related challenges at their children's schools. However, some parents did report challenges, and their experiences highlight the need for all early

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by several grants, awarded to the first author: Grant no. R03HD054394, from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development; the Wayne F. Placek award, from the American Psychological Foundation; and a grant from the Spencer Foundation.

References (54)

  • V. Casper et al.

    Gay parents/straight schools: Building communication and trust

    (1999)
  • K. Charmaz

    Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis

    (2006)
  • J. Creswell

    Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research

    (2008)
  • J. DeLisa et al.

    Commentary: Reflections on diversity and inclusion in medical education

    Academic Medicine

    (2012)
  • A. Dumaret et al.

    Foster children: Risk factors and development at a preschool age

    Early Child Development and Care

    (1997)
  • T. Durand

    Latino parental involvement in kindergarten: Findings from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Hispanic

    Journal of Behavioral Sciences

    (2011)
  • R. Falconer et al.

    When good intentions are not enough: A response to increasing diversity in an early childhood settings

    Journal of Research in Childhood Education

    (2003)
  • N. Gartrell et al.

    The National Lesbian Family Study: 2. Interviews with mothers of toddlers

    American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

    (1999)
  • N.K. Gartrell et al.

    The National Lesbian Family Study: 4. Interviews with the 10-year-old children

    American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

    (2005)
  • G. Gates et al.

    The gay and lesbian atlas

    (2004)
  • G. Gates et al.

    Adoption and foster care by gay and lesbian parents in the United States

    (2007)
  • A.E. Goldberg

    Lesbian and heterosexual preadoptive couples’ openness to transracial adoption

    American Journal of Orthopsychiatry

    (2009)
  • A.E. Goldberg et al.

    Perception and internalization of adoption stigma among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents

    Journal of GLBT Family Studies

    (2011)
  • A.E. Goldberg et al.

    Stigma, social context, and mental health: Lesbian and gay couples across the transition to adoptive parenthood

    Journal of Counseling Psychology

    (2011)
  • A.E. Goldberg et al.

    Lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents’ perceptions of parental bonding during early parenthood

    Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice

    (2013)
  • A.E. Goldberg et al.

    Predictors of psychological adjustment among early- placed adopted children with lesbian, gay, and heterosexual parents

    Journal of Family Psychology

    (2013)
  • J. Howard et al.

    A comparative study of child welfare adoptions with other types of adopted children and birth children

    Adoption Quarterly

    (2004)
  • Cited by (41)

    • Positioning children׳s literature to confront the persistent avoidance of LGBTQ topics among elementary preservice teachers

      2020, Journal of Social Studies Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      Moreover, the use of texts with LGBTQ characters in teacher education may be, for many preservice teachers, their very first encounter with characters that challenge heteronormative traditions in school literature (Hermann-Wilmarth, 2007). A small but growing number of scholars have advocated for the inclusion of children׳s literature with LGBTQ families in an effort to expand the curriculum of family in early grades (Tschida & Buchanan, 2015, 2017, 2018; DeNicolo & Franquiz, 2006; Fox, 2007; Goldberg, 2014; Hermann-Wilmarth, 2007; Ryan & Hermann-Wilmarth, 2018; Sanders & Mathis, 2013). For example, Krywanczyk (2007) challenged the use of diverse children׳s literature in research, noting most often participants are engaged in observing or identifying aspects of diversity in book characters but stopping short of holding conversations about difference.

    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text