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Child Care Disparities in Los Angeles CountyStephanie BensonUP206AFebruary 8, 2011

+The Policy Issue: Child Care The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) provides

approximately $5 billion in block grants to States, Territories, and Tribes to subsidize the cost of child care for low-income working parents

Between 1996 and 1998, following welfare reform, more than 1 million low-income preschool aged children moved into child care settings

High quality (center-based) child care can serve as a powerful moderating mechanism to help buffer against some of the many negative consequences of living in poverty1-4

Disadvantaged children do not thrive as well in poor-quality child care5-8

3 Main Types of Child Care: Center-based care Family Child Care Center Kin & Kith

+Assessing Availability & Disparities in Child Care in LA County Overview of Presentation:

Children under 6 years old and child care availability in LA County: Does availability correspond to need?

Poverty rates in LA census tracts and child care: Are areas in greatest need being served?

Comparing two areas (low poverty, high poverty) and disparities in quality of child care Capacity of child care providers as a proxy for quality Status of child care providers (licensed, unlicensed, closed,

changed ownership) as a proxy for quality

Limitations: Lack of information about unlicensed, informal care Lack of process (caregiver sensitivity) measures of quality

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+Future Analysis

Look at data available from the last 12 years to address issues surrounding access, availability and continuity of care within LA County.

Address data that pertain to process issues (environment ratings, caregiver sensitivity scales) to assess quality of care and disparities within LA County.

Look at state level data

+GIS Skills Utilized Slide 4:

Inset Map: California & LA County (Slides 4-8) Geocoding: Child Care Providers (Slides 4-8) Aggregating Attribute Fields: Children under 6 created by

aggregating census data (Slides 4 & 7) Graduated Point Symbols: Number of children served (Slide

8) Attribute sub-sets Selections: Census tracts and zip codes

collected to create West and South LA regions for analysis (Slide 6-8)

Geoprossessing: Clipping zip codes from both larger California shapefile and census tracts (Slides 6-8)

Geocoding (Child Care Providers) (Slides 4-8)

+Sources Cited

1. Caughy, M., DiPietro, J., & Strobino, D. (1994). Day-Care Participation as a Protective Factor in the Cognitive Development of Low-Income Children. Child Development, 65(2): 457-471.

2. Hofferth, S. (1999). Child Care, Maternal Employment and Public Policy. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 563: 20-38.

3. Vandell, D. & Wolfe, B. (2000). Child Care Quality: Does it Matter and Does it Need to be Improved? Institute for Research on Poverty, No. 79: 1-110.

4. Danziger, S., & Danziger, S. (1993). Child poverty and public policy: Toward a comprehensive antipoverty agenda. Daedalus: America's Childhood, 122, 57-84.

5. Fuller, B., Kagan, S., Caspary, G. & Gauthier, C. (2002). Welfare Reform and Child Care Options for Low-Income Families, The Future of Children, 12(1)97-119.

6. Fuller, B., Kagan, S., Loeb, S, & Chang, Y. (2004). Child Care Quality: Centers and home settings that serve poor families. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 19: 505-527.

7. Votruba-Drzal, E., Levine Coley, R. & Chase-Lansdale, L. (2004). Child Care and Low-Income Children’s Development: Direct and Moderated Effects. Child Development, 75(1): 296 – 312.

8. Zazlow, M., Halle, T., Martin, L., Cabrera, N., Calkins, J., Pitzer, L., & Geyelin Margie, N. (2006). Child Outcome Measures in the Study of Child Care Quality. Evaluation Review, 30(5): 577-610.