Parenting Daily Hassles Scale – Early childhood services (PDH-ECS)

1. I have a hard time getting my child ready for school or daycare in the morning.
Examples: It takes a lot of effort to get my child up from bed and dressed‚ to get my child to eat enough breakfast‚ or to make sure that my child’s backpack contains all the things he/she needs for the day‚ etc.
2. I have a hard time getting my child to school or daycare in the morning.
Examples: Taking the bus or subway is time consuming and tedious‚ I have to dr‎op off my children at multiple locations which takes a lot of time and energy‚ or I need to leave for work early so I have to arrange for someone else to take my child/ren to school‚ etc.
3. I have a hard time leaving my child at school or daycare in the morning.
Examples: My child gets upset and cries when I have to leave him/her‚ or I worry about how my child will get along at Kindergarten or daycare‚ etc.
4. I have a hard time leaving my child in care (at school or daycare facility) beyond the regular Kindergarten hours.
Examples: My child has a hard time transitioning from Kindergarten to daycare so he/she gets upset and cries when I have to leave him/her there‚ or I worry about how my child will get along at daycare‚ etc.
5. I have a hard time coordinating after school care for my child.
Example: I have to interrupt whatever I am doing in the middle of the day to get my child from Kindergarten to daycare‚ or vice-versa.
6. I have a hard time picking up my child at the end of the day.
Examples: I have to rush from work to pick up my child/ren at daycare‚ or sometimes I am late picking up my child/ren because of bad traffic or because I had a lot to do at work‚ etc.
7. I have a hard time keeping track of my child’s schedule.
Example: It’s hard to organize and remember where my child is going to be after school.
8. I have a hard time finding the time and energy to help my child improve his/her learning skills.
Examples: I am so tired by the time I get home that it’s really hard to sit down with my child to read on a regular basis‚ or there isn’t enough time in the day to help my child with his/her numbers‚ etc.
9. I have a hard time dealing with my child’s behavioural difficulties at school.
Example: My child doesn’t get along with other children in the class or has trouble making friends‚ and I don’t know what to do to help my child‚ etc.
10. I have a hard time dealing with my child’s learning difficulties.
Example: My child seems to have trouble learning letters‚ and I don’t know what I can do to help him/her‚ etc.
11. I have a hard time finding a good after school daycare program that is compatible with my schedule.
Example: Most of the daycare centres in my neighbourhood close too early‚ etc.
12. I have a hard time finding parenting programs that meet my needs.
Examples: I want to know how I can be more effective as a parent‚ but I don’t know where to go to find good programs‚ or I can’t find good programs easily‚ etc.
13. I have a hard time finding information on how to help my child learn.
Examples: I want to know how I can help my child learn‚ but I don’t know where to look for information or I can’t find good information easily‚ etc.
14. I have a hard time finding information on how to deal with my child’s behaviour.
Examples: I want to know how I can help my child get along better with other children or help my child become a better listener‚ but I don’t know where to look for good information‚ or I can’t find good information easily‚ etc.
15. I have a hard time finding the opportunity to talk with other parents at my child’s school.
Example: I want to talk to other parents to see how they are dealing with certain issues‚ but I don’t have the time to wait around because I am rushing off to another place‚ etc.
16. I have a hard time approaching the teacher or people at the school to talk about what’s going on with my child.
Example: I have some concerns that I want to discuss with my child’s teacher‚ but I don’t know when it’s the best time to talk to him/her‚ etc.
17. I have a hard time communicating with my child’s school because English isn’t my first language.
Example: I am not fluent in English so it’s hard to approach my child’s teacher to talk or it’s hard to understand letters that are sent home‚ etc.
18. I have a hard time understanding how things work at my child’s school.
Examples: I don’t know what I am supposed to do when my child is sick‚ I don’t know if it’s okay for my child to bring certain items/foods to school‚ etc.
19. I have a hard time dealing with multiple people at my child’s school.
Example: It is hard to keep things straight when multiple people care for my child during the day‚ etc.
20. I have a hard time staying connected with my child’s teacher about day-to-day things.
Example: It’s hard to know what happens with my child at school because I usually don’t talk my child’s teacher on a regular basis‚ etc.
21. I have a hard time finding the time to volunteer in my child’s school.
Example: I would like to be able to help out with school activities like fundraising events‚ but I just don’t have the time or energy‚ etc.
22. I have a hard time understanding what the school expects from me as a parent.
Example: I don’t know what the school expects from me in terms of helping my child learn at home‚ etc.
Never = 0 times in last month
Rarely = 1-3 times in last month
Sometimes = 1-2 times per week
A lot = 3-4 times per week
Constantly = 5 times per week (every school day)
No Hassle 1‚ 2‚ 3‚ 4‚ 5 Big Hassle
 
 

Arimura‚ Tomoko. N. (2008). Daily routines‚ parenting hassles‚ and social support: The role that early childhood services play in parents’ and children’s daily life. Unpublished ma‎ster’s thesis‚ Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto‚ Toronto‚ Ontario‚ Canada.

Arimura‚ T. N.‚ & Corter‚ Carl. (2009). School-based integrated early childhood programs: Impact on the daily lives of parents? Poster session presented at the biennial meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development‚ Denver‚ CO.

 Arimura‚ T. N.‚ & Corter‚ C. (2010). School-based integrated early childhood programs: Impact on the well-being of children and parents. Interaction‚ 24(1); 23-28

Johnson‚ L. C.‚ & Mathien‚ J. (1998). Early childhood services for kindergarten-age children in four Canadian provinces: Scope‚ nature and models for the future. Ottawa‚ ON: Caledon Institute of Social Policy.

Pelletier‚ J.‚ & Corter‚ C. (2006). Integration‚ innovation‚ and evaluation in school-based early childhood services. In B. Spodek‚ & O. N. Saracho (Eds.)‚ Handbook of research on the education of young children (2nd ed.‚ pp. 477-496). Mahwah‚ NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

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