Child care satisfaction: The effects of parental gender and type of child care used (original) (raw)

1998, Child & Youth Care Forum

A survey of 1675 parents of preschool-aged children revealed higher levels of satisfaction with child care provided by relatives and by au pairs in the family's home as compared to either center-based care or home care providers. Parental satisfaction with these latter two forms of child care did not differ significantly. Mothers in general were more satisfied with their child care than fathers. However, child care satisfaction was a significant predictor of work/family balance for both genders. Child care arrangements have become an integral and necessary part of the day to day functioning of many families with young children. The most recent statistics indicate that over 58% of American mothers with children under age six are in the labor force (Snyder, 1994). While the data also suggest that approximately 30% of these preschoolers are cared for by another family member, a variety of child care alternatives have become increasingly prevalent including women who provide care in their homes (18%), center-based group care (23%), and less often, babysitters or au pairs who provide care for the child in the family's home (5%) (Casper, Hawkins, & O'Connell, 1994). Although considerable research has been done on the possible effects of nonmaternal care on young children (e.g., Belsky, 1988; Clarke-Stewart, 1989; Phillips, McCartney, Scarr, & Howes, 1987) much less is known about how satisfactory parents find these different types of arrangements or how child care may, in turn, impact other aspects of the parents' lives (