Selon le modèle écosystémique de la qualité (Bigras & Japel, 2007 ; Lemay & Bigras, 2012), il semble nécessaire de prendre en considération le contexte culturel pour définir la qualité. Cette étude explore les représentations sociales des critères de la qualité de l’accueil extrafamilial et ce, dans le contexte toulousain. Pour cela, 103 entretiens semi-directifs ont été réalisés avec différents acteurs de l’accueil préscolaire. L’analyse de contenu thématique montre une diversification des missions de ces établissements et une représentation de la qualité, définie principalement par les déterminants de la relation à l’enfant. Les résultats sont discutés au regard des spécificités du contexte français.

The eco-systemic model of quality (Bigras & Japel, 2007; Lemay & Bigras, 2012), suggests that it is essential to take into consideration the cultural context (the macro-system) in investigating the quality of early daycare services and developmental outcomes. In order to understand specific cultural values associated with quality services in Toulouse, this study explores social representations of criteria necessary to evaluate quality in out of home daycare. Structured interviews were realized with 30 parents, 47 early education professionals, 15 daycare center directors, and 11 experts (university teachers, pediatricians and psychologists). The interviews aimed at understanding educational ideologies and values, developmental objectives and definitions of quality of educational service. Thematic content analyses indicate that the predominant educational ideology is to offer children and their families an individualized service with priority given to children's affective needs. Discussion of children's early learning needs was either absent from educators’ discourse or was considered as an objective of later school life. Developmental objectives of early daycare in France concern most often the need for socio-affective regulation and acquisition of social rules. Cognitive or language development was rarely evoked. Quality of interaction between teachers and young children was rarely mentioned (process quality). Results are discussed in terms of historical, socio-economic and political specificity of the French early education context, underlining the need to examine contextual specificity in the study of the impact of quality services for child development. This study questions the validity of investigations designed to evaluate quality education as a simple universally applicable construct.