Childcare centres are increasingly recognised as educational institutions, and the current study examined parent’s perspectives on school-based parent activities provided by childcare centres. Through surveying 266 parents, we found that both structured activities (e.g., training workshops) and unstructured activities (e.g., parent-child tours) could meet parents’ needs. Activities that benefited parents practically and allowed them to cope with work and family demands were more attractive. How to deal with children’s emotions was the most needed topic. Finally, parents’ interest and participation varied depending on demographics and their children’s in-care history. Practical implications for centre supervisors, policymakers and parents are discussed. Copyright © 2024 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Childcare centers are increasingly recognized as education agents, and school-based parent activities are part of home-school partnerships. Based on a survey of 265 parents, this study examined: (1) What made school-based parent activities useful? (2) What factors facilitated or inhibited parents’ participation? (3) What topics interested parents the most? Results showed that both structured activities (e.g., training workshops) and unstructured activities (e.g., parent-child tours) could meet parents’ needs. Parents were more likely to participate in activities that they perceived useful and allowed them to cope with the restrictions imposed by their work and family demands. Parents were most interested in activities that taught them how to deal with their children’s emotions. Finally, parents’ interests and participation varied by demographics. Copyright © 2022 AERA.