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Who’s Minding the Kids in the Summer? Child Care Arrangements for Summer 2006
Lynda Laughlin - U.S. Census BureauJoseph Rukus - Cornell University
Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America,
Detroit, MI April 30 – May 2, 2009
Who Minds the Kids in the Summer?
• Summer can present a number of challenges to parents when trying to arrange child care as they try to bridge the gap between the school year and summer.
• Little is known about the summer child care usage patterns, the number of hours in care, and the extent that mothers may rely on family members to juggle work and family responsibilities.
• Understanding summer child care patterns is critical for our understanding of child well-being. Summer can be a time when parents seek additional academic assistance for their children. All the while, finding summer child care can have an impact on parental employment patterns.
Who Minds the Kids in the Summer?
• This poster examines child care usage for children 0 – 14 years old. We examine the type of child care used, hours in care, as well as variations in child care usage by selected social and economic characteristics.
• Comparisons are made between a school month and a summer month.
• The role of fathers as child care providers is also examined to determine if summer increases their role as providers.
Survey of Income and Program Participation and Child Care
(SIPP) • Since the 1984 panel, the Census Bureau has collected
information on child care usage through special supplements to SIPP (called topical modules).
• The 8th Wave of the 2004 SIPP provides a unique opportunity to compare school year and summer child care arrangements. The universe is limited to children ages 0 to 14 with a employed mother.
• Usually child care data is collected in the spring or fall. In the 2004 panel, data was collected between May and August providing a unique opportunity to examine summer child care activities.
• We compare child care usage between May (a school month) and July (a summer month) to highlight differences in school year and summer child care arrangements.
Child Care Arrangements Defined• Child care arrangements are broadly classified into
the following categories:– Relative care (mothers, fathers, grandparents, siblings,
or some other relatives)
– Organized facilities (day care or child care centers, nursery school, preschools, and Head Start)
– Activities (sports, lessons, clubs, after-and-before school program)
– School (Kindergarten/grade school)
– Self care (child cares for him or herself)
• Measure for “any” use of the above arrangements
Summer Care Arrangements for Preschoolers • Overall there was little variation in the selected types of child
care arrangements between May and July.
• Preschoolers with Black mothers were more likely to be cared for by relatives in July (39%) than in May (29%). Whereas, organized facility care fell from 29% in May to 13% in July.
• Preschoolers of Hispanic mothers were more likely to be in organized care facilities in July (18% vs. 8%).
• There also appears to be regional variation in care arrangements. Notably, the use of organized facilities in the Midwest decreased from May to July (28% vs. 16%).
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Preschoolers with Employed Mothers: May and July 2006
1377
21
46
686
19
46
0102030405060708090
100
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
Other NonRelative
School
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Preschoolers with Employed Mothers by Race: May 2006
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements
49
2922
58
8
20
7 813
29
104
12
63 5
45
26
14
010
2030
405060
7080
90100
RelativeCare
OrganizedCare
Family DayCare
Other NonRelative
School
Pe
rce
nt
WhiteBlackAsian/PIHispanic
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Preschoolers with Employed Mothers by Race: July 2006
21
47
6106
39
732
13
5
1822
62
836
18
44
0102030405060708090
100
Relative Care OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
Other NonRelative
School
Pe
rce
nt
WhiteBlackAsian/PIHispanic
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements* Numerator too small for comparison
*
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Preschoolers with Employed Mothers by Region: May 2006
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements
28
7
45
106
11
22
54
14
510 10
4
20
43
1611
6
16
45
0102030405060708090
100
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
Other Non-Relative
School
Pe
rce
nt
NortheastMidwestSouthWest
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Preschoolers with Employed Mothers by Region: July 2006
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements
49
73
20
9
56
108
16
254
24
39
7
45
10915
9
0102030405060708090
100
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
Other Non-Relative
School
Pe
rce
nt
Northeast
Midwest
South
West
Summer Care for Grade School Aged Children • Other than the steep decline in school usage (86% in May vs. 30% in
July), there was minimal variation in the types of care used over the summer by grade school aged children.
• Asian/PI grade school aged children were less likely to use relative care in the summer (44% in May vs. 34% in July).
• Grade school aged children spend more hours per week in various types of care when summer arrives. Increases of 5 or more hours include: relative care, family day care homes, and organized facilities.
• The average number of hours spent in self care increased for Hispanic children in the summer (5 hrs to 9 hrs), but decreased for Asian/PI children (8 hrs to 4 hrs).
• The average number of hours per week spent in relative care increased, regardless of race/Hispanic origin, between the school year and the summer.
• The average number of hours per week spent in family day care decreased between the school year and summer for children below the poverty level (15 hrs to 8 hrs), but increased for children above poverty (100-199% of poverty).
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Grade School Aged Children with Employed Mothers: May and July 2006
21
86
15724
44
18
30
10725
42
0102030405060708090
100
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
Other Non-Relative
Care
Activities School Self Care
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Grade school Aged Children with Employed Mothers by Race: May 2006
7
44
4 2
86
1621
7
19
87
4 3
44
14
3
23
10
44
92
13
4
44
84
73
18
0102030405060708090
100
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
OtherNon-
Relative
Activities School Self Care
Pe
rce
nt
White
Black
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8
Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements* Numerator too small for comparison
* *
Selected Child Care Arrangements of Grade school Aged Children with Employed Mothers by Race: July 2006
23 2
19
11
42
85
29
15
488
42
2
29
54
47
34
118 7 5
46
36
14
0102030405060708090
100
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
OtherNon-
Relative
Activities School Self Care
Pe
rce
nt
White
Black
Asian/PI
Hispanic
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8
Note: Does not add up to 100% because of multiple arrangements* Numerator too small for comparison
*
Average Time Grade school Aged Children Spent in Selected Care Arrangements: May and July 2006
89
33
13
1922
23
1010
32
14
2628
27
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
RelativeCare
OrganizedFacility
Family DayCare
Other Non-Relative
Care
Activities School Self Care
Ho
urs
pe
r w
ee
k
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Average hours per week in specified care arrangement
Average Time Grade School Aged Children Spent in Self Care by Race: May and July 2006
58
11
69
4
129
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
White Black Asian/PI Hispanic
Ho
urs
pe
r w
ee
k
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Average hours per week in specified care arrangement
Average Time Grade School Aged Children Spent in Relative by Race: May and July 2006
2017
2120
31
26
3232
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
White Black Asian/PI Hispanic
Ho
urs
pe
r w
ee
k
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Average hours per week in specified care arrangement
Average Time Grade School Aged Children Spent in Family Day Care by Poverty Status: May and July 2006
20
1115
25
32
8
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Below Poverty 100%-199% PovertyLevel
200% Poverty Level& Above
Ho
urs
pe
r w
ee
k
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Average hours per week in specified care arrangement
What Role do Fathers Play in the Summer?• With school being out, summer provides an
opportunity for fathers to increase their role as child care providers.
• Several factors are related a father’s child care involvement in the summer: – Child care provided by fathers increased in the summer
for preschoolers below poverty (19% to 33%), but decreased for grade school aged children below poverty (15% to 10%).
– For both preschool and grade-school aged children, father provided care varied by marital status. Father care increases in the summer for divorced/separated mothers, whereas father care for never married mothers decreases.
– Fathers are more likely to care for male preschoolers than female preschoolers in the summer.
Percentage of Preschoolers Cared for by Fathers by Poverty Status: May and July 2006
292419 21
2633
0102030405060708090
100
Below Poverty 100%-199%Poverty
200% PovertyLevel & Above
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100%, Limited to children with employed mothers
Percentage of Grade School Aged Children Cared for by Fathers by Poverty Status: May and July 2006
251715
232210
0102030405060708090
100
Below Poverty 100%-199%Poverty Level
200% PovertyLevel & Above
Per
cen
t
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100%, Limited to children with employed mothers
Fathers Providing Care for Preschoolers by Mother’s Marital Status: May and July 2006
2821
262729
18
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Married Divorced, OtherEver Married*
Never Married
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100%, Limited to children with employed mothers*Includes separated and widowed
Fathers Providing Care for Grade School Aged Children by Mother’s Marital Status: May and July 2006
1314
25
8
2124
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Married Divorced, OtherEver Married*
Never Married
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100%, Limited to children with employed mothers*Included separated and widowed
Fathers Providing Care for Preschoolers by Child’s Gender: May & July 2006
2925
2229
0102030405060708090
100
Male Preschooler Female Preschooler
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100%, Limited to children with employed mothers
Fathers Providing Care for Preschoolers by Race/Hispanic Origin: May 2006 & July 2006
22
38
17
28 2927
12
28
0102030405060708090
100
White Black Asian Hispanic
Pe
rce
nt
May
July
Source: SIPP 2004 Wave 8Note: Does not add up to 100%, Limited to children with employed mothers
Summary of Findings• Findings suggest that there is little seasonal variation
in the types of child care used by preschoolers and grade school aged children.
• However, children spend more hours in similar child care arrangements when summer arrives. This is especially true for grade school aged children.
• Father increased their summer child care roles for preschoolers below poverty and for both preschoolers and gradeschoolers of divorced/separated parents, possibly because of visitation agreements among ex-spouse.
Implications
• Child care researchers should take into account seasonal patterns in child care usage and the options and constraints this presents for families.
• While many families’ summer and school-year arrangements are similar, the increase in number of hours in care most likely means families spend more on child care in the summer.
• There are few surveys that provide any detail about summer child care usage. Additional data is needed to better understand seasonal child care needs.
Contact Information
Lynda Laughlin
Housing & Household Economic Statistics
Joseph Rukus
Department of City and Regional Planning
-Data in this presentation are from a sample, and therefore are subject to sampling and nonsampling error.For more information about the source and accuracy of the data go to http://www.census.gov/sipp/source.html.-All comparative states have undergone statistical testing and are all significant at the 90-percent confidence level unless otherwise noted.
