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| In
Brief: Income Influences Child Care Choices
Families
weigh many factors when selecting a child care provider. A study
by researchers at the University of Kansas examined what is most
important to parents enrolling their children in care, and how that
relates to the quality of the arrangements they choose. Parents
selected one of three factors as the most important reason they
chose their child's provider: quality (of care providers,
program, environment, or equipment), practical concerns (such
as location, fees, hours of operation, and availability), or the
preference for a specific type of care (child care center,
relative care, or non-relative care in a home environment).
More than half (55.9%) the parents interviewed reported that quality was the most important factor in selecting a care arrangement; 21.7% considered practical factors to be most important; and 22.4% reported they chose their provider due to a preference for a specific type of provider setting. Families with low incomes were almost four times more likely to choose care based on practicality than those with high incomes. The study also found that children whose parents made quality the primary factor in choosing a provider did in fact receive care of significantly higher quality than those who chose care based on its practicality, and, predictably, parents choosing care on the basis of quality were more satisfied with their arrangements than parents choosing for practical reasons. The results of this study reinforce findings in previous research that indicate families with lower incomes who worked longer hours were more likely to choose their child care providers primarily for practical reasons. Constraints such as affordability and availability are barriers to children receiving high-quality care, even if a parent is well informed about the characteristics of high-quality care when choosing a provider. Source:
For
more information: Facts in Action, August 2001 |
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