Search

Data from 971 mothers suggested that (1) price is critical in child care choice; (2) parents do not consistently select high quality care; and (3) mothers with higher wages and families with higher incomes prefer center care. Vouchers, reduced fees, or tax credits consistently increase use of day care centers. (SK)

This study hypothesized that father involvement is influenced by mothers' level of involvement as well as by marital conflict, mothers' work hours, and fathers' status as biological or step father. [...]

This article examines whether the passage of the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) altered mothers' postpartum employment continuity, job retention, and wages. Data were drawn from the 1984-1997 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Women who had a child post-FMLA returned to work more quickly and were more likely to return to the same job. However, except for those who remained with the same employer, wages in the 2 years after birth declined. The results suggest that the FMLA increased employment and retention but reduced wages in the short term as mothers traded earnings for job flexibility. Keywords: childbirth; maternal employment: parental leave

The role of the economy and cash assistance policies implemented by states in the early to mid-1990s in maintaining long-term exits from AFDC, using data from then Panel Study of Income Dynamics is evaluated. The contribution of economic conditions and public policies to altering former AFDC recipients' probabilities of returning to public assistance during the pre-PRWORA period of 1989 through 1996 is examined.

This article examines parental values among midwestern middle-class families and the role of children's after-school activities in transmitting these values to the younger generation as parents themselves balance work and family life. Sociological research suggests that American parents favor characteristics of independence, autonomy, and self-reliance in their children over simple obedience and conformity. Similarly, the authors' qualitative research among middle-class working families in Michigan suggests that parents of preadolescent children also value the qualities of responsibility, self-discipline, and respect in their children and work to instill these traits both at home and through various after-school activities. In particular, parents of school-age children encourage and support participation in a variety of extracurricular activities that they perceive offer their children the opportunity to have fun, to be physically active, to discover and enhance special skills, and to develop self-esteem, commitment, social skills, teamwork, and helping behaviors. Keywords: children's activities; parental values; middle-class; families; time

This article examines the contribution of economic circumstances, neighborhood context, and cultural factors to explaining race/ethnic differences in fathering in two-parent families. Data come from the 1997 Child Development Supplement to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a nationally representative sample of children younger than age 13. Black children's fathers exhibit less warmth but monitor their children more, Hispanic fathers monitor their children less, and both minority groups exhibit more responsibility for child rearing than White fathers. Economic circumstances contribute to differences in paternal engagement and control, and neighborhood factors contribute to differences in warmth and responsibility. Cultural factors, such as intergenerational fathering and gender-role attitudes, contribute to explaining differences from Whites in control and responsibility on the part of both Blacks and Hispanics. Keywords: fathers; parenting; race; ethnicity

I. Introduction In Hofferth and Wissoker (1992) we estimated the effects of prices and child/staff ratios on the mode of child care chosen (center, sitter, relative, or father) using multinomial [...]

Objective. The cost of child care affects women's economic opportunities, limits children's chances to experience high-quality environments in their early childhood years, and reinforces economic and social inequality. This paper examines several factors that may influence whether employed mothers purchase child care, and, among those who pay, how much they pay for child care services. It also investigates how these factors may be associated with the proportion of total family income and the proportion of the mother's earnings spent on child care. Methods. Whereas past research has relied primarily on cross-tabular techniques, this study uses logistic and OLS regressions to analyze data from the National Child Care Survey 1990. Results. Findings suggest that cultural, economic, and kinship resources and the need for child care are most important in determining whether an employed mother pays for child care. Family resources, cost of living, and availability of alternative providers, such as teenage children, are significant predictors of how much employed mothers pay for child care. Conclusions. It is recommended that policies should emphasize voucher programs over reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenditures.

Daycare programs need improvement in meeting the needs of sick children and children who require supplemental nutritional or medical services. Researchers examined data from a nationally representative survey of daycare centers and regulated and unregulated family daycare providers. Only 15% of centers would allow a severely coughing child to attend whereas half of nonregulated providers would take such a child. However, 33% of nonregulated providers would ask parents to make other arrangements when the provider was ill versus 2% of the centers. Three-quarters of regulated family daycare providers participated in a federal program reimbursing for food provided to eligible children versus 30% of centers. For-profit centers must have 25% of children eligible and administrative requirements are more complex. Less than 20% of centers offered physical or dental examinations, 50% tested hearing, speech, or vision, and 40% tested for cognitive and social development. Centers serving low-income families were more likely to supply these supplemental services.

Outlines the changes in the family structure in our society and the new stresses this puts on the children and the schools who are now faced with educating students with many potential problems. The report covers marriage, divorce, women's employment, sex, unmarried pregnancy, childbearing, changing family size, and poverty. Includes references and sources. (MD)

Describes the national data currently available to answer questions concerning: the match between children in need of child care and the type of arrangements made for them; the proportion of children in licensed arrangements; the relationship between price of care and the family's ability to pay; and parents' preferences for type of program. (BB)

An examination of relationship between disabilities in families and returns to welfare, support the theory that both child and maternal disabilities increase rates of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) re-entry and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) entry is conducted. Findings add to the literature on welfare recidivism and have implications for welfare reforms that emphasize work and lifetime limits on benefits.