Children’s First Experiences In Child Care

As part of the parent interview, information was collected on children's first experiences in child care. Parents provided information on whether their child was in care, the type of care, the number of hours in care, and the age at which the child first entered care. The ECLS-B seeks to provide information on the care that young children receive on a regular basis from persons other than their parents.⁹

When children were about 9 months of age, approximately one-half (50 percent) were in some kind of regular child care arrangement, such as a center-based care arrangement or care provided by a nonrelative or relative in a private home (figure 6, table 6).

• Black children (63 percent) were more likely to be in some kind of child care arrangement, compared to White (49 percent), Hispanic (46 percent), and Asian children (47 percent). Children whose mothers work (full time or part time) are more likely to be in child care than children whose mothers do not work or who are looking for work. Children in families who were not poor (at or above the poverty threshold) (52 percent) were more likely to be in child care than children from poor families (43 percent) (table 6).
• Among children about 9 months of age (figure 6, table 6)
• 26 percent were in relative care as their primary arrangement,¹⁰ where they received care from someone related to them other than the parent, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, or some other relative. Relative care could be in the child's home or in the home of the caregiver.
• 15 percent were in nonrelative care as their primary arrangement, care provided by someone who is not related to them, such as a nanny, home-based care provider, regular sitter, or neighbor. This does not include day care centers or preschools. The care could be in the child's home or in the home of the caregiver.
• 9 percent were in center-based care as their primary arrangement, such as early learning centers, nursery schools, and preschools (including Early Head Start).
• 1 percent had a primary arrangement that was actually multiple arrangements, where they spent equal numbers of hours across different care arrangement types (such as 20 hours a week with a relative and 20 hours a week in a center-based program).
• The type of child care children receive varied by their race/ethnicity. Black children were more likely than White, Hispanic, or Asian children to be in center-based care. White children were less likely than Black, Hispanic, or Asian children to be cared for by a relative (table 6).
• Of children in child care, 39 percent began when they were younger than 3 months, 47 percent were three to six months old, and 14 percent started care when they were older than 6 months (figure 7, table 7). In terms of hours per week in child care, 19 percent of children about 9 months of age were in an arrangement 10 hours or fewer, 27 percent were in an arrangement 11 to 30 hours, 31 percent were in an arrangement 31 to 40 hours, and 24 percent were in an arrangement more than 40 hours (table 7).
• The age at which children entered child care and the number of hours they spent in the arrangement varied by their race/ethnicity. Asian children were more likely than White, Black, or Hispanic children to enter a child care arrangement when they were younger than 3 months of age. Asian children were more likely than White, Black, or Hispanic children to spend more than 40 hours a week in care, and Black children were more likely than White or Hispanic children to spend more than 40 hours a week in care.
Children in relative care were more likely to be in care for 10 hours or fewer a week than children in nonrelative care or a center-based program. Children in multiple care arrangements were more likely to be in care more than 40 hours a week than children in a single care arrangement.