Preschool selection considerations and experiences of school mistreatment among lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents

• We examine sexual minority and heterosexual adoptive parents of preschoolers.
• We examine preschool selection factors and perceptions of school mistreatment.
• Sexual minority parents are more likely to consider racial diversity.
• Heterosexual parents are more likely to perceive adoption-related mistreatment.
• Living in a homophobic area is linked to perceived sexuality-related mistreatment.

The current study is the first to investigate the school selection considerations and school-related experiences of sexual-minority parents with young children. The sample consisted of 210 parents in 105 couples, including 35 lesbian couples, 30 gay male couples, and 40 heterosexual couples, all of whom had adopted a child three years earlier. We found that parents with less income were more likely to consider cost in choosing a preschool, and parents with less education were more likely to consider location. More educated parents tended to emphasize racial diversity and the presence of adoptive families, and, among sexual-minority parents, the presence of other lesbian/gay parents. Sexual-minority parents were more likely to consider racial diversity than heterosexual parents. In reporting on their experiences with schools, heterosexual parents were more likely to perceive mistreatment due to their adoptive status than sexual-minority parents, and sexual-minority parents living in less gay-friendly communities were more likely to perceive mistreatment due to their sexual orientation than sexual-minority parents living in more gay-friendly communities. Our findings have implications for early childhood educators and administrators seeking to create an inclusive learning community for all types of families.