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