Early child-care selection: variation by geographic location, maternal characteristics, and family structure.
More than half of all U.S. infants and toddlers spend at least 20 hr per week in the care of a nonparent adult. This article uses survival analysis to identify which families are most likely to place their child in care and the ages when these choices are made, using data from a national probability sample of 2,614 households. Median age at first placement is 33 months, but age varies by geographic region, mother's employment status during pregnancy, mother's education level, and family structure (1 vs. 2 parents, mother's age at 1st birth, and number of siblings). Controlling for these effects, differences by race and ethnicity are small. Implications for studies of child-care selection and evaluations of early childhood programs are discussed.
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. judith_singer@harvard.edu
J D
JD
Singer
B
B
Fuller
M K
MK
Keiley
A
A
Wolf
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002656:Child Day Care Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D011247:Pregnancy; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014931:Women, Working / Q000706:statistics & numerical data