Evaluación de la calidad de atención temprana de 11 centros de desarollo infantil privados para niños y niñas de 0 a 5 años de edad con trastornos del desarrollo con o sin discapacidad del área urbana periférica del cantón Cuenca, enero a junio 2009

Abstract

Due to the parents’ necessity to know and have access to a prompt and adequate healthcare that enable their children ranging from zero to five years of age, have a proper growth and development. We conducted a study that evaluated the quality of care that eleven private Child Development Centers from the peripheral urban area of the canton Cuenca provided, from January to June 2009.

We used a quantitative descriptive method, using a form that assessed the quality of care of each child development center, assessing the infrastructure, care process, capacity and skill of caregivers, and family participation. A scale of 100 points was used, assigning 25 points to each variable.

Once the information was collected, the data was tabulated, analyzed, and presented in frequency tables, using the statistical program SPSS. The results indicated that only 27.27% of children's institutions score high in quality of care, and also show that only 27.27% have legal registration in the Cantonal Council of Childhood and Adolescence. The results also indicated that only 9.09% of those institutions integrate children with disabilities in their programs.

The data obtained will be used in the pursuit of "Improving the Quality of Care for Children with Development Disorders" that is carried out by the research division of the University of Cuenca, being the children the ultimate beneficiaries.

Keywords: Infantile gardens, develop infantile, studies of evaluation, children with discapacity, outlying urban area, pre-school children and babies, Cuenca-Ecuador