Introduction
Research Questions
- How do the demographic characteristics of listed home-based providers who stay in the field compare to those who leave the field?
- How do the service characteristics of listed home-based providers who stay in the field compare to those who leave it?
- How do the community characteristics of home-based providers who stay in the field compare to those who leave it?
Many state and local agencies have reported significant declines in the availability of family child care providers, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of providers exiting the field outpacing new entrants. Quantitative evidence about what drives provider attrition is limited. To examine the factors that contribute to home-based providers leaving the field, the research design requires datasets with a sufficiently large and representative sample, which include information about individual providers who exit the field as well as the characteristics that potentially predict their exit. This study analyzes factors that shape the attrition of listed home-based providers (i.e., found on administrative lists) using a novel dataset that combines nationally representative survey data from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) with compiled administrative lists of home-based child care providers from 2018.
Purpose
This study analyzes factors that shape the attrition of listed home-based providers by comparing the characteristics of stayers and leavers. Combining survey data from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) with administrative data from state lists of home-based child care providers serving in 2018, this analysis offers nationally representative information about individual demographic, service, and community characteristics that predict which providers leave the field.
Key Findings and Highlights
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Comparing stayers (listed home-based providers from the 2012 NSECE who could be found on compiled administrative lists in 2018) to leavers (providers who could not be found), stayers were about 2.5 years older than leavers on average (48.7 years vs. 46.1 years)
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Among stayers, 71% reported more than 10 years of experience, compared to 56% of leavers.
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Stayers, on average, reported more revenue (about $35,400 annually vs. $21,100 for leavers) in 2012.
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Taking other covariates into account, provider age, years of experience, and 2012 child care revenue remain statistically significant predictors of provider attrition.
Methods
This study combines survey data from the 2012 NSECE with administrative data compiled in 2018 from lists of federal, state and local licensing agencies to analyze stayers and leavers among listed home-based providers. It classifies listed home-based providers interviewed in the 2012 NSECE into stayer and leaver categories and compares the characteristics of providers across these two categories. The study employs both univariate and multivariate analysis (logistic regression) to examine how stayers differ from leavers and to identify which variables predict whether a provider exited the field by 2018.
Citation
A R Datta, W Wong. Exploring Changes in the Supply of Listed Home-based Child Care and Early Education between 2012 and 2018, OPRE Report 2023-274, Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- Listed home-based providers:
- Individuals who appeared on state or national lists of early care and education services, such as licensed, regulated, license-exempt, or registered home-based providers. States use these terms with varying definitions and attach varying levels of program and professional standards, oversight, and monitoring.
- Stayers:
- Listed home-based providers from the 2012 NSECE who were found on state or national lists of early care and education services in 2018.
- Leavers:
- Listed home-based providers from the 2012 NSECE who could not be found on state or national lists of early care and education services in 2018.