The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of how preschool children view their neighborhood environments and where they turn to for safety and help. Two different data-collection techniques were used – both allowing children to participate in a meaningful way in the research process.
This study was conducted in a low-income neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel and engaged a total of 176 young children, age 4-5. Fifty-six children participated in one-on-one interviews; one hundred and twenty in focus group discussions. The interviews and focus groups were conducted by trained social work students. During the interviews, children were asked to talk about issues relevant to the research: neighborhood environment, safety, and help seeking. They were also invited to draw pictures about their neighborhood. Open-ended questions and prompts were used to help children focus on these issues. Examples include “Tell me about the playgrounds” and “What do you like doing in the playground?” Each focus group involved 20 children and was guided by an interactive story about a puppet and its life in the neighborhood. The story focused on three locations: the preschool, the playground, and the children's homes. Children were asked about their feelings and experiences in these locations, what they liked to do, who they were with, where they did and did not feel safe, and who they would ask for help if needed.
Results indicated that children have limited understanding of neighborhoods and a limited list of people to turn to when they need help. Many of the children also struggled with the concept of safety. Some children used the term “pleasant” in referring to feelings of safety. While some children drew pictures of a playground to show what they liked to do in their neighborhood, many of the drawings were not related to neighborhoods. They tended to focus more on objects they liked or knew how to draw, such as the sun or a dinosaur.
This study highlights the importance of incorporating children's own perceptions in efforts to understand their experiences of their neighborhood environments and offers new measures for doing so. This study also raises concerns about the limited support networks available to children and their families. The authors call attention to the importance of including young children's perspectives in addressing this and other concerns relating to their safety and well-being and identifying ways of improving neighborhood environments for children.
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