Understanding Parental Understanding Parental Decisions About Children’s Decisions About Children’s

Care: An IntroductionCare: An IntroductionChild Care Policy Research Consortium Child Care Policy Research Consortium

Annual MeetingAnnual MeetingOctober 29, 2009October 29, 2009

Roberta Weber, Oregon State UniversityRoberta Weber, Oregon State University

Goals for Introduction:Goals for Introduction:

Begin conversation about policy relevance Begin conversation about policy relevance of understanding parental child care of understanding parental child care decision-making decision-making

Briefly review the Consortium’s graphic Briefly review the Consortium’s graphic description of parent’s decision makingdescription of parent’s decision making

Policy-Relevance of Policy-Relevance of Understanding Parental Child Understanding Parental Child

Care Decision-MakingCare Decision-Making

Policy areas that depend on Policy areas that depend on an understanding of child an understanding of child care decision-making include:care decision-making include: Subsidy PolicySubsidy Policy Work/Family PolicyWork/Family Policy Quality Information InitiativesQuality Information Initiatives

Subsidy PolicySubsidy Policy

Extent to which policies “fit” decision-making Extent to which policies “fit” decision-making processesprocesses

Extent to which policies support or constrain Extent to which policies support or constrain employment and child care optionsemployment and child care options

Extent to which employment and child care Extent to which employment and child care options/selections are affected by specific subsidy options/selections are affected by specific subsidy policies:policies: CopaymentCopayment Maximum payment rateMaximum payment rate Eligibility rulesEligibility rules Rules governing redetermination of eligibilityRules governing redetermination of eligibility Other Other

Work/Family PolicyWork/Family Policy

Impacts on child care decision-making Impacts on child care decision-making of:of: Workplace schedulesWorkplace schedules Access to paid and un-paid leaveAccess to paid and un-paid leave

Sick leave for self and childSick leave for self and child Maternity/paternity leaveMaternity/paternity leave

Availability of flexibility at work: Availability of flexibility at work: Part-time options Part-time options Flexible schedulesFlexible schedules

Economic strengths of familiesEconomic strengths of families

Quality Information Quality Information InitiativesInitiatives

Impact on decision-making of R&R provision Impact on decision-making of R&R provision of basic and sometimes qualitative of basic and sometimes qualitative informationinformation

Impact on decision-making of Quality Impact on decision-making of Quality Rating SystemsRating Systems Extent to which information “fits”/matches Extent to which information “fits”/matches

information parents seekinformation parents seek Extent to which delivery fits parent information Extent to which delivery fits parent information

gathering processgathering process How parents integrate QRS information with How parents integrate QRS information with

that from other sourcesthat from other sources

Common Assumptions about Common Assumptions about Parental Child Care Decision-Parental Child Care Decision-

Making Making Type of care preferred is affected by race, ethnicity, and Type of care preferred is affected by race, ethnicity, and

languagelanguage Parents are unable to discern how well an arrangement Parents are unable to discern how well an arrangement

meets developmental needsmeets developmental needs Parents lack critical information needed for making child Parents lack critical information needed for making child

care decisionscare decisions Parents prefer simplified information (e.g., stars or gold Parents prefer simplified information (e.g., stars or gold

seal) to more specific informationseal) to more specific information Parent concerns with cost and location lead to selection of Parent concerns with cost and location lead to selection of

poor quality arrangements poor quality arrangements Many low-income parents have few, if any, child care Many low-income parents have few, if any, child care

optionsoptions Subsidy parents select FFN in order to keep financial Subsidy parents select FFN in order to keep financial

resources within their family systemresources within their family system Once a parent places a child in an arrangement, they do Once a parent places a child in an arrangement, they do

not assess how well it meets child’s needsnot assess how well it meets child’s needs

Uncommon Assumptions about Uncommon Assumptions about Parental Child Care Decision-Parental Child Care Decision-

Making: Arthur C. EmlenMaking: Arthur C. Emlen Parents’ own natural judgment blends values and Parents’ own natural judgment blends values and

practical considerations into a best feasible practical considerations into a best feasible solution for the familysolution for the family

Parents better served with good, hard information Parents better served with good, hard information than with a quality ratingthan with a quality rating

Quality is an abstract concept composed of Quality is an abstract concept composed of judgments rather than an objective measurejudgments rather than an objective measure

Quality ratings are based on a set of judgments Quality ratings are based on a set of judgments Parents’ judgments more likely to result in child Parents’ judgments more likely to result in child

care that meets child and family needs than care that meets child and family needs than judgments used to create a quality ratingjudgments used to create a quality rating

Graphic Description of Parental Graphic Description of Parental Child Care Decision-Making Child Care Decision-Making

Offers Opportunity to:Offers Opportunity to: Visualize complex relationships among Visualize complex relationships among

families and communitiesfamilies and communities Organize existing body of researchOrganize existing body of research

Identify relationships among diverse findingsIdentify relationships among diverse findings Provide researchers access to relevant findingsProvide researchers access to relevant findings

Help build a research agendaHelp build a research agenda Identify areas in which little is knownIdentify areas in which little is known Clarify research questionsClarify research questions

Community

Quantity and quality of child

care supply

Employment characteristics

Social Networks

Consumer Education /qualitative information

Preferences:

Dynamic set of parent opinions

Opportunities

Constraints

Barriers

(As perceived by parent) Child Care

Arrangement(s) Used

NumberTypeHours

Price/costsStability

Perception of Quality

Financial Assistance Used

CCDF SubsidyStabilityAmount

Other Financial Assistance

Parental Employment

Outcomes

Family and Child Outcomes

Family

Parent & Child

Characteristics

Parent Values, Beliefs, & Definitions

Parental Child Care Decision-Making: Graphic Description

Description comes from merge of products created by Child Care Policy Research Consortium (2003) and the Minnesota Child Care Research Partnership (2008).

Overview of Remainder of Overview of Remainder of SessionSession

Theoretical perspectives—Theoretical perspectives—Ajay Chaudry, Ajay Chaudry, Urban Institute and Julia Henly, Urban Institute and Julia Henly, University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago

Methodological and Practical Insights—Methodological and Practical Insights—Elizabeth Davis, University of MinnesotaElizabeth Davis, University of Minnesota

Findings from a study of the impact of Findings from a study of the impact of subsidy policy on parental decisions—subsidy policy on parental decisions—Ann Collins, Abt Associates, Inc.Ann Collins, Abt Associates, Inc.