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2011 The Palm Beach County Family Study (Full Report)

2011 The Palm Beach County Family Study (Full Report)

2011 The Palm Beach County Family Study (Full Report)

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Childcare ArrangementsChildcare for preschool and school-age children is an important support for the study families, especiallyamong working parents or those enrolled in school. In the fifth year, a total of 191 mothers, representing260 preschool-age children, used some form of childcare, defined as care on a regular basis from someoneother than a parent. This amounts to almost two-thirds (62%) of the mothers in the year 5 sample andrepresents a significant increase relative to the 54 percent reported in the fourth-year interview (p < .05).This increase may correspond to a slight increase in the percentage of working mothers at the time of theyear 5 interview, the percentage of mothers currently enrolled in school, and the percentage of familiesreceiving a childcare subsidy. More than three-quarters of mothers using childcare reported that theirchildren are in their childcare arrangements 5 days a week. <strong>The</strong> number of hours spent in care per weekranges from a low of 2 to a high of 75, although just 4 percent spend more than 50 hours in childcare eachweek. Typically, each child spends about 34 hours a week in childcare.Preschool Childcare ArrangementsWhen asked about nonparental childcare arrangements for their preschool-age focal child, mothersreported using a variety of arrangements at year 5. Informal care by relatives, friends, or neighbors wasused less than half as often as formal arrangements, which include center-based programs and familychildcare (see Figure 3). <strong>The</strong> most frequently mentioned type of care for the focal children at year 5 wascenter care (34%), followed by relative care (11%), and care by a friend or neighbor (6%). Perhaps notsurprisingly, the percentage of parents using center care for their focal child has increased over time, from1 percent in year 1 to 34 percent in year 5. 3131 When we asked mothers to report on childcare arrangements for all of their preschool-age children, the results were verysimilar to those presented in Figure 3.Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago 58

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