Facts In Action

The number of children in immigrant families is now growing faster than those of non-immigrant families. During the 1990s, the number of immigrant children grew by 47 percent in comparison to the seven percent increase for children with U.S.-born parents. This rise has led researchers to focus on the child care choices of immigrant families as they play an important role in the education and development of our country's citizens.

Dr. P. Brandon, professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts- Amherst, observed how a family's child care arrangements are affected by the following factors: (1) the immigrant status, (2) the generational status (i.e. Second-generation immigrant children have at least one foreign-born parent, while third-generation children have two U.S.-born parents), and (3) the family's country of origin. In this study, he found that:

• Immigrant families use center-based care less than non-immigrant families, and choose, instead, to place their children in parental and kin care.
• In the five states with the highest numbers of immigrant children (California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Illinois), children with at least one foreign-born parent are more likely to choose kin care than children with U.S.-born parents.
• Furthermore, i mmigrant children of Mexican, Asian, and White descent are less likely to be placed in center-based care than non-immigrant children of the same descent. In addition, Mexican-American children with U.S.-born parents are much less likely to be in center-based care than Asian, White, and Black children with U.S.-born parents.

Dr. Brandon believes it is important to explore why these groups are choosing to place their children in parental and kin care more than center-based care. Are the reasons based on cultural values or lack of knowledge about how to access child care subsidies? In sum, he believes that more research should go into this topic to ensure that immigrant families have access to their top child care choice.

Source: Brandon, P. (2002) The Child Care Arrangements of Preschool Children in Immigrant Families in the United States http://www.ffcd.org/uploadDocs/UMASS%20Brandon.pdf Editor's Note: this url is no longer active.

Facts in Action, July 2004