Introduction
Research Questions
- To what extent did children under 60 months participate in publicly funded center-based or paid individual care arrangements in 2019? To what extent did this differ from 2012?
- To what extent did participation in publicly funded care among children under 60 months vary based on child age, household income, and parent employment status? To what extent did this differ from 2012?
In the U.S. in 2019, public funding of child care and early education (CCEE) could come from a variety of programs and levels of government (federal, state, or local). This snapshot uses household reports to estimate percentages of children younger than 60 months who participated in that year in one of two types of publicly funded CCEE arrangements: center-based care or paid care by an individual in a home-based setting. We say that a child participated in a publicly funded care arrangement if that child’s care arrangement was supported by any public funds, defined by either a parental report of public agency support or zero out-of-pocket costs for center-based care. Using household reports allows us to document child age, income, and parental employment status-related differences in children’s participation in publicly funded and non-publicly funded care arrangements.
Purpose
This snapshot uses household reports of participation in child care and early education (CCEE) to estimate percentages of children younger than 60 months who participated in center-based or paid individual care arrangements, and the proportion of those that participated in publicly funded and non-publicly funded care arrangements. Using data from the 2012 and 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education, which each included nationally representative data on households with young children, this snapshot focuses on rates of participation in 2019 and changes in participation from 2012 to 2019. We observe differences in rates of participation based on child age, household income, and parent employment status.
Key Findings and Highlights
Center-based CCEE
Between 2012 and 2019 there was no change in the percentage of children under 36 months who participated in any center-based arrangement. However, between 2012 and 2019 there was a significant increase in the percentage of children under 36 months who were in publicly funded center-based care arrangements—from 3.3% in 2012 to 6.2% in 2019.
Between 2012 and 2019, the percentage of children in this age group in publicly funded center-based arrangements increased significantly whether they were in lower-income (< 200% FPL) or higher-income (≥200% FPL) households. The percentage of children under 36 months who participated in publicly funded center-based arrangements increased from 4.0% in 2012 to 7.8% in 2019 among children in lower-income households, and from 2.4% in 2012 to 4.7% in 2019 among children in higher-income households.
There was no difference between 2012 and 2019 in the percentage of children 36 through 59 months who participated in any center-based arrangement. However, the percentage of all children 36 through 59 months who were in publicly funded center-based arrangements increased significantly, from 13.9% in 2012 to 17.3% in 2019.
Among higher-income households, the percentage of children 36 through 59 months who were in publicly funded center-based arrangements increased significantly—from 6.9% in 2012 to 13.6% in 2019. There was no statistically significant change from 2012 to 2019 in the percentage of children in this age group in lower-income households who were participating in publicly funded center-based arrangements.
Between 2012 and 2019, there was a significant increase in the percentage of children 36 through 59 months in higher-income households where all parents worked (fully employed households) participating in publicly funded center-based care arrangements. Among children 36 through 59 months in higher-income households where parents were fully employed, the percentage participating in publicly funded center-based care increased, from 8.0% in 2012 to 14.7% in 2019.
Paid Individual CCEE
Between 2012 and 2019, there was a significant decrease in the percentage of children under 36 months participating in any paid individual care arrangement—from 16.8% in 2012 to 13.7% in 2019. However, between 2012 and 2019 there was no change in the percentage of children under 36 months participating in publicly funded paid individual arrangements.
Between 2012 and 2019 there was no change in the percentage of children 36 through 59 months participating in paid individual care arrangements. However, between 2012 and 2019 there was a significant increase in the percentage of children 36 through 59 months who were in publicly funded paid individual care arrangements—from 0.9% in 2012 to 2.4% in 2019.
Methods
This snapshot draws from data collected in the 2012 and 2019 NSECE Household Surveys. The household survey was administered to a parent or guardian of a child or children under age 13 in households with at least one child under age 13. The focus of this snapshot is children under age 5 (<60 months) at the date of interview. Interviews were conducted January through June of each data collection year. The 2019 tabulations use data from 6,526 children while the tabulations for 2012 use data from 8,105 children.
Citation
Kabourek, Sarah. 2024. NSECE Snapshot: How Much of Children’s Child Care and Early Education Participation in 2019 Was Publicly Funded? OPRE Report #2024-132, Washington DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/opre/project/national-survey-early-care-and-education