ED420452 PS026691
Title: Characteristics of Children's Early Care and Education Programs:
Data from the 1995 National Household Education Survey. Statistical
Analysis Report.
Author(s): Hofferth, Sandra L.; Shauman, Kimberlee A.; West, Jerry;
Henke, Robin R.
Author Affiliation: MPR Associates, Berkeley, CA.(BBB21249)
Pages: 175
Publication Date: June 1998
Sponsoring Agency: National Center for Education Statistics (ED),
Washington, DC. (EDD00004)
Report No: NCES-98-128
ISBN: 0-16-049625-X
Available from: EDRS Price MF01/PC07 Plus Postage.
Availability: U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents,
Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328.
Language: English
Document Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data (110); Reports--Research
(143)
Geographic Source: U.S.; District of Columbia
Journal Announcement: RIENOV1998
Government Level: Federal
Drawing on
data from the 1995 National Household Education Survey, this report
examines the characteristics of the care and education children
receive on a regular basis before they enter school. The report
focuses on various characteristics of child care arrangements categorized
into two groups: those that have been associated with children's
development and those that stem from parental concerns other than
child development, such as family budget or work schedules. Following
an introduction detailing data sources and limitations and what
characteristics of child and family and of non-parental care are
of interest, the report presents factors and findings in the following
areas: (1) what were children's experiences in non-parental care
in 1995; (2) what factors were associated with the types and characteristics
of the child care arrangements that parents chose; (3) what were
parents' sources of information and preferences regarding child
care arrangements; (4) what were parents' preferences related to
the attributes of the child care arrangements they selected; and
(5) what were parents' preferences related to the types of arrangements
they selected. The final section of the report provides a summary
and conclusions. Among the findings highlighted are the following:
(1) compared with children who did not have various characteristics
associated with school failure, children who had these characteristics
spent more time in nonparental care and were more likely to be in
multiple care arrangements; (2) parents valued having their children
cared for by a trained provider and with a small number of children,
cost of child care was almost as important as the number children
cared for; (3) a variety of other child care characteristics were
related to parents' choices, including distance between home and
care, whether sick child care was available, and whether English
was spoken most of the time; and (4) inconsistent relationships
were found between cost of care and characteristics associated with
positive child outcomes. The report's two appendices present supplemental
tables of data and technical notes and methodology of the
study. (Contains 57 references.) (HTH)
Descriptors: At Risk Persons; *Day Care; Day Care Effects; *Early
Childhood Education; *Educational Quality; Outcomes of Education;
*Parent Attitudes; Preschool Children; Young Children
Identifiers: Child Care Costs; *Day Care Quality; National Household
Education Survey; *Program Characteristics
