Researchers interested in the wide variations of care in
different types of settings and differences in caregiving
behaviours and conditions have often used the ecological
model to shape their methodologies and to explain their
findings (Ghazvini and Mullis 2002). The present study is
primarily grounded in the Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological
Systems Theory (1979, 1990, 2004) and it aims to examine
how child care centres (children’s microsystems) operate
and at the same time to explore exosystems’ (legislation
and policy makers) attitudes towards child care and
children.