Relative Care

Parents of sampled students in kindergarten through eighth grade were asked a number of questions about relative care arrangements, including the relationship of the care provider to the student and the characteristics of the relative care provider.

• The percentage of students whose only after-school nonparental care arrangement was with a relative decreased as grade in school increased (table 2). Twenty-three percent of students in kindergarten through second grade were cared for only by a relative after school. This estimate decreased to 19 percent for students in third through fifth grade and 12 percent for students in sixth through eighth grade.
• Students in kindergarten through eighth grade were more likely to receive after-school care from a grandparent (58 percent) than from an aunt or uncle (18 percent), sibling (23 percent), or any other relative (7 percent) (table 3).