A number of national surveys provide data on child care. These surveys are excellent and often have sample sizes large enough to provide reliable estimates at the state level. Descriptions of some of these surveys are provided below: questions asked, geographic coverage, etc. These surveys provide estimates of children served by non-parental care but estimates may not be available for smaller geographies such as the state or county level. In such cases, study teams should use state and local administrative data and only use national data for comparison purposes.
Four major national surveys are described here. One of the surveys is conducted by the US Census Bureau—the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)—and is the basis for the Current Population Reports, “Who is Minding the Kids.” The Bureau of Labor Statistics conducts another survey—Current Population Survey (CPS)— that is used to estimate number of children in paid care at the state level. Another survey is the National Survey of America's Families (NSAF) conducted for the Urban Institute and Child Trends by Westat, a nationally renowned survey research firm. The National Center for Education Statistics also conducts a survey on early education and after school programs— the National Household Education Survey (NHES)—that includes data on child care arrangements.
US CENSUS BUREAU SURVEY OF INCOME AND PROGRAM PARTICIPATION (SIPP) collects data on income, labor force information, program participation and eligibility data, as well as general demographics. The survey sample was expanded in 1996 to include over 37,000 households. The Child Care Topical Module includes several questions regarding child care, including: child care arrangements by type of care, hours per week spent in non-parental care, number of child care arrangements used per week, and weekly amount paid for care, including the amount paid to relatives such as a grandparent.
Based on the SIPP child care data, the US Census Bureau developed the Current Population Reports: Who’s Minding the Kids? This report provides a national and regional estimate of child care arrangements and family characteristics. This report is available every two years and the last year available is Spring 1999. The data are available for preschoolers (children under 5 years old) and for school-age care (children between 5 and 14 years of age). Table D1 shows the child care arrangements used by employed mothers of preschoolers in 1995 and 1999 based on the SIPP survey. The URL is: http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/childcare.html
| Table D1. Primary Child Care Arrangements Used by Employed Mothers of Preschoolers | ||
| Type of Arrangement | Fall 1995 | Spring 1999 |
| Total children under 5 years (Numbers in thousands) | 10,047 | 10,587 |
| Total | 100.0 | 100.0 |
| Relative Care | 43.4 | 50.4 |
| Non-Relative Care | 53.6 | 42.3 |
| Other | 2.9 | 7.3 |
| Source: US Census Bureau Current Population Reports "Who is Minding the Kids", Spring 1999. | ||
CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY ANNUAL DEMOGRAPHIC SUPPLEMENT (CPS) (MARCH SUPPLEMENT) collects data concerning work experience, multiple sources of income, migration, household composition, health insurance coverage, and receipt of non-cash benefits. Beginning in the year 2001, the survey also included three questions on child care. The Current Population Survey (CPS) (March Supplement) samples about 218,000 individuals. The sample provides national aggregate estimates and serves as part of model-based estimates for individual states and other geographic areas, so this data would be fine for state level analysis of child care arrangements. The US Census Bureau recommends using a three-year rolling average to get an estimate for individual states. The data are available at: www.bls.census.gov/cps
| CPS Child Care Variables: HRCCYN: Did (you/anyone in this household) pay for the care of (your/their) (child/children) while (you/they) worked last year (include preschool and nursery school; exclude kindergarten or grade/elementary school)? HRCCAYN: At any time during 20XX did (you/anyone in this household) receive child care services or assistance so (you/they) could go to work, school or training? HRNUMCC: Number of people in this household receiving child care assistance? PAIDCCYN: Did any (child/children) need care while parent worked? |
NATIONAL SURVEY OF AMERICA'S FAMILIES (NSAF) is conducted for the Urban Institute and Child Trends by Westat, a survey research firm. The survey data are drawn to represent national, as well as, state data on the non-institutionalized, civilian population of persons under age 65. Thirteen states are included: Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. The survey sample includes over 42,000 households. The survey incorporates measures of child well-being, including child care arrangements. The questions on child care include arrangements by type of care, hours per week spent in non-parental care, number of child care arrangements used, monthly and weekly amount paid for care, and others. Table D2 illustrates results from the 1999 National Survey of American Families. The data are available at: http://www.urban.org/Content/Research/NewFederalism/NSAF/Overview/NSAFOverview.htm
| Table D2. Primary Child Care Arrangements for Children with an Employed Parent | |||||
|
Children Under Age 5 |
Children Age 5 |
Children Ages 6-12 |
|||
| Center-Based Care |
28% |
Center-Based Care |
40% |
Before/After School Program | 15% |
| Family Child Care Provider |
14% |
Before/After School Program |
8% |
Family Child Care Provider |
7% |
| Relative Care |
27% |
Family Child Care Provider |
11% |
Relative Care |
23% |
| Nanny/Babysitter |
4% |
Relative Care |
19% |
Nanny/Babysitter |
4% |
| Parent Care |
27% |
Nanny/Babysitter |
3% |
Parent Care/Other Care |
41% |
| Parent Care/Other Care |
19% |
Self-Care |
10% |
||
| Source: “Primary Child Care Arrangements of Employed Parents: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families”, Urban Institute-Occasional Paper 59, May 2002. | |||||
The National Household Education Survey (NHES) includes questions on the
following topics:
|
NATIONAL HOUSEHOLD EDUCATION SURVEY (NHES) is conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and examines the arrangements of children who receive care from persons other than their parents, regardless of parental activities while in care or educational settings. The survey is available every two-years and the most recent data available are for the year 2001. The early education survey (ECPP-NHES: 2001) includes interview data completed with parents of 6,749 children, of whom 3,599 were infants or toddlers, and of whom 3,150 were preschoolers. The school-age care survey (ASPA-NHES: 2001) contains interview data completed with parents of 9,583 children in kindergarten through 8th grade, including 9,388 students enrolled in regular public or private schools and 195 home-schooled children. These data are only available at the national level. The URL for the NHES is: http://nces.ed.gov/nhes/surveytopics_early.asp