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Brief: Child Care Use in Massachusetts Differs from Nation Three new studies by the Urban Institute provide a closer look at the type of child care, the number of hours of child care, and the number of different child care arrangements that parents throughout the country are using in order to help better balance their work and family lives. The studies look at national trends as well as trends in a number of states, including Massachusetts. Nationally, 76% of children under the age of 5 years whose mothers are employed are regularly cared for by someone other than a parent. In Massachusetts, 38% of children from low-income families are in center-based child care versus 24% of children from higher-income families. The opposite is true of the nation as a whole, with children from higher-income families more likely to be in center-based care, and children from low-income families more likely to be cared for by relatives. Also, in Massachusetts 47% of low-income children are in child care on a full-time basis (35 hours or more per week), compared with only 24% of higher-income children. This trend is again different from the country as a whole, where higher-income children are no more likely than low-income children to be cared for full-time by someone other than a parent. What do these numbers mean for Massachusetts families? Children from low-income families are more likely to be cared for in centers, and they spend more hours in care. Working to ensure that children receive high-quality care will enhance their development and better prepare them for the future.
Source:
For
more information: Facts in Action, May 2000 |
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