The Child Care Arrangements of Paid Child Care Workers in the United States: An Exploration Using the SIPP

Laura Braslow, Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)
Janet C. Gornick, Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY)
Kristin Smith, University of New Hampshire
Nancy Folbre, University of Massachusetts

Although there are substantial literatures on the child care workforce and on child care arrangements, very little is known about the child care arrangements of child care workers. Using data from the Survey on Income and Program Participation (SIPP), this study is the first to analyze the child care arrangements that three groups of child care workers - family day providers, center-based workers, and nannies - use to care for their own children. The study describes variation in child care arrangements by occupational group and work setting, and uses multivariate models to explore intertwined individual and job factors that shape the links between holding a child care job and placing one’s own children in specific care arrangements. The findings contribute to our understanding of this important and growing segment of the U.S. workforce, determinants of child care arrangements by occupational group, and the interconnections between child care, work and family.