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Learning about Informal Care

Bernadette Sangalang, David and Lucile Packard FoundationJaime Thomas, Mathematica Policy Research

Ana Chang, Concept Hatchery

Early Childhood Funders MeetingFebruary 19, 2015

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• The Packard Foundation’s Early Learning Strategy

• Learning about informal caregivers (family, friends, neighbors)

• Research findings from Mathematica and Concept Hatchery

Overview

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Improve the quality of early learning and developmental experiences in both formal and informal settings for children, birth through age five, in California.

• Improving professional development for educators and caregivers to improve the quality of care provided through the formal system.

• Providing parents, family, and friends that care for children with the skills and support they need to provide quality, nurturing environments for children to grow to ensure they are on track and ready for the classroom by age five.

Early Learning Strategy

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Children spend time in a variety of settings

Based on analysis of California sample from the 2005 NHES ECPPS and 2007 RAND California Preschool Study; settings listed are those where children spend any time, even if not the majority; “FFN” here is noted as “relative care” in the study; “home-based child care” noted as “non-relative care” in the study. Source: Karoly, Lynn, “The Use of Early Care and Education by California Families,” RAND, 2012

01 2 3 4 5 6

INFORMAL

FORMAL

Age in years

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Who are informal caregivers, what motivates them, what their typical days entail, the kinds of caregiving resources they want and need…

Learning about informal caregivers

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Our research partners

Literature review of recent national and Ca l i fornia-specific research Discussions wi th child care resource and referra l agencies Key informant interviews wi th state and county informal caregiver networks and initiatives Site visits to community organizations that serve parents and caregivers

Ethnographic research wi th sets of parents and their informal caregivers. The focus was on understanding the atti tudes, beliefs, relationships, and interactions that affect how and why parents and caregivers make the decisions they do, rather than on what they do.

In-person interviews wi th providers and community members connected to community-based centers serving parents and caregivers. Convening wi th caregivers and community members to understand caregiver and parent needs and to identify solutions that can work for the community.

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• Disseminate informal care research findings

• Continue to learn from local communities and the field

• Develop framework and plan for testing scalable pilots

Packard Foundation’s next steps

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Mathematica’s study for CFC

• Research questions

• Study components

• Dissemination plan

• Overview of findings

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Research questions

• Who are informal caregivers in California?

• What are their existing networks and needs for support?

• What are promising outreach methods and approaches to meet their needs?

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Study components

• A literature scan of recent national and California-specific research on informal caregiving

• Interviews with two state- and four county-level key informants to learn about existing informal caregiver networks and initiatives

• Discussions with five individuals from child care resource and referral agencies and other organizations with knowledge of California’s voucher-based child care subsidy system

• Site visits to five community organizations in Alameda and Santa Clara counties that provide resources and services for parents and caregivers

• Graphic representations of social systems and supports for informal caregivers and parents through a technique called ecomapping

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Mathematica’s findings presented in 3 briefs

• Setting the Stage: The Importance of Informal Child Care in California

• A Close Look: Informal Child Care Arrangements and Support in California (tentative title)

• The third brief will discuss the needs expressed by informal caregivers and parents, gaps in resources they are able to access, and recommendations for programs and policies to address needs and gaps

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Setting the Stage: The Importance of Informal Child Care in California

• Many children spend crucial developmental years in informal care

• Informal child care meets the needs of low-income, working parents

• Parents and others share concerns about quality in informal care

• Parents, caregivers, and state and local agency staff agree that informal caregivers need resources and support

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A Close Look: Informal Child Care Arrangements and Support in California

• Findings from “ecomaps” of care arrangements and sources of support related to child care for parents and informal caregivers

• Young children are the most common recipients of informal child care; grandparents typically provide such care

• Parents commonly rely on more than one informal caregiver

• Many informal caregivers do not receive remuneration for the care they provide, and child care subsidy use is nonexistent in our sample

• Friends and family are the most common sources of support related to child care

– Some parents and caregivers rely on institutional support (for example, child care resource and referral agencies or neighborhood libraries)

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Informal caregiver, 42Household members:

Son, 5Daughter, 7Husband, 42

Family 1Girl, 1

Family 3Boy, 5

Nephew

Mother from

Family 1

Parents from

Family 3

Families receiving care Support systemRespondent

ISC1

Strong support

Weak support

Quality of Support

Note: Arrows indicate flow of support

Family 2Girl, 7

Husband Sisters

Friend

Other Family Member

Grandparent

Neighbor

Relationship to families receiving care

Parents from

Family 2

Friends and family are the most common source of support related to

child care

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Themes for the third brief

• Needs expressed by informal caregivers and parents

• Barriers that informal caregivers have experienced in accessing resources

• Outreach methods recommended by informal caregivers and parents

• Elements of promising outreach methods and approaches targeting informal caregivers

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDER’S MEETING FEBRUARY 2015 16Concept Hatchery

Research funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Bay Area Early Childhood Funders Meeting

Feb.19.2015

Understanding Informal Systems of Care

Note: Photos and names have been changed to protect the privacy of research participants. Photos in this presentation are shown courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons. Full list of photographers and references may be found in the public report available on the Packard Foundation CFC web site.

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDER’S MEETING FEBRUARY 2015 17Concept Hatchery

Jackie, 22Family friend

Confident & parent-centric

Amara, 24 Unprepared but

coping

Elsa, 38Progressive & lacking

time

Understanding lives

Sasha, 33Affluent & well

connected

Ranisha, 45Grandmother

Devoted & disconnected

Sofía, 63Grandmother

Diligent & engaged

Tara, 45 Aunt

Respectful & stabilizing

Carmen, 41

Hired helpGenerous &

isolated

Emilia, 50Hired helpSensible &

undervalued

LEARNING ABOUT INFORMAL CARE

Noreen, 42Overwhelmed &

informed

Antonia, 21Disconnected &

weary

Beth, 21Supported &

anxious

Michaela 4 months

Jose14 months

Sam & Tom2 & 4 years

Roberto1 year

Johanna3 years

Peter4 months

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDER’S MEETING FEBRUARY 2015 18Concept Hatchery

Antonia and Carmen

LEARNING ABOUT INFORMAL CARE

Caring for kids is hard work! You get no breaks and no benefits. And it’s not appreciated. I wish I knew other babysitters like me. - Carmen

I wish my mom was nearby. When I found out I was pregnant I was so scared and wished the earth would swallow me.

- Antonia

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDER’S MEETING FEBRUARY 2015 19Concept Hatchery

Elsa and Sofía

LEARNING ABOUT INFORMAL CARE

You’ll always find some resources on the street. - Elsa

It’s never too late for learning. - Sofía

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Care providers

Parents & Family

LEARNING ABOUT INFORMAL CARE

An extra pair of hands

Monotony and logistical hurdles

Limited information seeking

Weary and feeling guilt

Overloaded with information

Need trusted sources

Building a new identity Parents seek information and take

charge of their child’s needs; caregivers are experienced but follow parent lead

Motivations and Interactions

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JourneyTrack

Family and close friends are on a “road trip”, knowing they will be connected with the family and child in the long haul.

• Discovery • Bonding and experiences• Understand THIS child, not all children• Emotional job

Hired professional informal care providers are on a “track.” They have defined patterns of work with the same age range of children for a variety of families, sometimes over decades.

• Safety • Support, not advice• Invested in long-term jobs• Careful not to step out of bounds• Functional job

LEARNING ABOUT INFORMAL CARE

Experiences and motivations

Different types of informal care providers engage with the child and family in different ways.

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDER’S MEETING FEBRUARY 2015 22Concept Hatchery

LEARNING ABOUT INFORMAL CARE

Needs Hierarchy

Stabilize

Make Changes . Give Back

Shelter . Food . Safety

Language . Peer Network Mobility . Information Access

Support . Identity Choices . Permissions

Connect

Empower

Grow

EARLY CHILDHOOD FUNDER’S MEETING FEBRUARY 2015 23Concept Hatchery

Thank youConcept Hatchery