The use of nonparental child care by low-income Latinx households for infants and toddlers is influenced by family composition, parental employment, and work hours

The National Research Center on Hispanic Children and Families prepared a brief detailing their study of low-income Latinx households with infants and toddlers and their use of different child care options. The authors found that care experiences are shaped by family household composition, parental employment characteristics and the presence of different-aged children in the household (all in expected ways). Findings suggest that parents make financial tradeoffs around work and child care, by leveraging other adults in the household, including co-resident grandparents, when available, and by reducing employment when not available. The authors also found no relationship between limited English abilities and community urbanicity & poverty with use of nonparental care, suggesting that these factors may matter more for the type and qualities of care selected, rather than the decision to use care or not. #childcare