Center-based childcare use by Hispanic families: Reasons and predictors

This study explored the reasons and factors associated with childcare use for Hispanic children of preschool age with working and nonworking mothers. National Household Education Survey/Early Childhood Program Participation 2005 data were used. The data suggested that use of center-based childcare is more frequent than use of parental care, relative care, or nonrelative care. In general, family poverty status, mother's education, household composition, mother's work status, and acculturation are all significant predictors of center-based childcare use. The importance of the educational and pragmatic characteristics of childcare plays a significant role in childcare selection for parents of Hispanic preschool-age children. Mothers who put greater value on socialization are more likely and mothers who put greater value on location and reliability are less likely to use a center-based childcare. Nevertheless, the relationship between family characteristics and center-based childcare use, and the relationship between the importance of childcare characteristics and center-based childcare use, depends on the mother's working status.

Research highlights
► Family and childcare factors predict the type of childcare used by families.
► Those factors operate different from the general population for Hispanic families.
► Hispanic families use center-based childcare more often than other childcare types.
► Strength and direction of the family factors' effects vary with mother's work status.
► Importance of childcare characteristics depends on mother's work status.