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

Data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families indicates that 8.9 million children under the age 13 regularly spend time in the care of relatives while their parents work; 6.4 million of these children are in relative care as their only nonparental child care arrangement. Over one-quarter of children under age three are in only relative care compared with about one-fifth of older children. The percentage of children who spent time in relative care was largely unchanged between 1999 and 2002.

Many families rely on relatives to care for children while the parents are at work, but the child care field has been missing a basic picture of relative care use in the United States. This paper uses the 1999 Survey of America's Families to look in depth at the use of relative care--including who uses it, for how many hours, and how often it is relied on as the only child care arrangement versus one of a combination of arrangements. Our analysis indicates that relative care provides an important support for many working families and affects the lives of millions of children.

Data from the 1999 National Survey of America's Families examines the help families get paying for child care expenses. Twenty-nine percent of employed families with children under age 13 get help paying for care, or free care, from relatives, the government, private organizations, employers, non-resident parents, or other individuals. At least 14 percent of families get free child care from relatives, and at least 12 percent get free child care or pay lower bills due to help from the government or private organizations. The report examines the help received by families by income and family structure as well as expenses with and without preschool-aged children. The report updates earlier research on the incidence and amount of child care expenses. Despite the help they receive, low-income families paying for child care spend an average of 14 percent of their earnings to purchase that care. [View the corresponding press release]

Thirty percent of 6- to 12-year-old children with a working primary caretaker participate in "organized programs" such as day camps or summer school during the summer. School-age children spend roughly 10 more hours per week in both relative care and other supervised arrangements during the summer than the school year. Summer child care patterns also vary by the child's age and family income. Relatives are more likely to care for young children and low-income children are more likely to be in summer school. Eleven percent of children ages 6 to 12 are in self-care while the primary caretaker is working. On average, these children spend 6 hours more per week in self-care during the summer (10.3 hours total) than during the school year. Low-income families spend less on child care during the summer compared to the school year while higher-income families spend significantly more. [View the companion Fact Sheet]

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