Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/NatalyaBolshun

Nearly 20.5 million children with employed parents regularly spend time in child care each week, according to data from the 1997 and 1999 rounds of the National Survey of America’s Families. Three out of four children 4-years-old and younger, four out of five five-year-olds, and half of school-age children with employed .primary caretakers are regularly in non-parental care when they are not in school. An additional ten percent of school-age children are home alone or with a sibling younger than 13 while their primary caretaker is working. This report details the share of children in center-based care, family child care, relative care, nanny or babysitter care, before- and after-school programs, self care, and parent care. It also looks at how child care arrangements vary by state of residence, family structure, income, and age of child. Changes between 1997 and 1999 are examined.

This guidebook and program compendium provides an essential first step in bridging the gap from "research to practice." It explores some of the practical issues associated with finding, choosing, and starting potentially effective prevention programs for at-risk preteens and teens.

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