Does parent satisfaction with a childcare provider matter for loyalty?

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between parent satisfaction and child retention at a childcare provider. Design/methodology/approach - The survey data used in the analyses involves a sample size of 1,003 respondents, all clients of a regional childcare provider in the USA. Logistic regression was used to test the propositions. Findings - The results indicate that parent satisfaction is most important to child retention when the child is very young (birth to one year of age). As children increase in age, however, parent satisfaction becomes increasingly less predictive of children's continued enrollment at a childcare facility. Research limitations/implications - One of the limitations of this research is that it tests the propositions within a single firm. Future research should attempt to replicate these findings across several childcare providers. Practical implications - Emphasizing improvements in different attributes for different age groups has implications for increasing retention for childcare providers, in addition to ultimately increasing the satisfaction of parents. Originality/value - While all would agree that childcare services are of extremely high importance (at both a national and individual level), no research to date has examined the role of parent satisfaction to the continued enrollment of a child at a childcare facility. Our findings show that the presumed relationship between satisfaction and retention varies greatly by the age of child.