Early childhood development through parent–teacher collaboration: a mixed-methods study using IDELA in Mexico

Introduction Early childhood development (ECD) can be shaped by multidimensional factors, including the relationships between parents and teachers. Prior research has analyzed parent-teacher relationships and child outcomes separately; however, limited evidence integrates both standardized measures of child development with teachers' perspectives. The current study addresses this gap by employing a concurrent mixed-methods design to examine how preschool teachers' perceptions of parent-teacher collaboration relate to developmental outcomes in young children. Methods The study included 167 preschool children aged five and six and 29 preschool teachers from three municipalities in the city of Monterrey, Mexico. Development was assessed using the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA), and teachers participated in semi-structured interviews exploring family engagement in their educational experiences. Quantitative findings were analyzed using multilevel modeling to account for the hierarchical structure of the data. Qualitative findings were analyzed to contextualize teachers' perspectives regarding parent-teacher collaboration and developmental outcomes. Results Quantitative findings indicated that literacy and socioemotional domains had the lowest scores. Multilevel analysis revealed that variation in IDELA outcomes was primarily explained at the individual and preschool levels, with no meaningful differences across municipalities. Qualitative analysis revealed that teachers perceive communication and participation with families as core components of the relationship. However, limited parental engagement due to contextual constraints such as work demands and time limitations may limit children's opportunities for learning support. Discussion Integrated findings suggest that variations in developmental domains may be better understood when considering the dynamics within and between schools and families. Teachers mentioned that limited parental involvement may be associated with differences in learning support. The study highlights the potential importance of strengthening parent-teacher collaboration to support children's development in preschool contexts.