Research by Author & Topic

Publications by Linda Giannarelli on Child Care and Development

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]

Nearly half of America's working families with a child under age 13 have child care expenses that consume on average 9 percent of their monthly earnings. Working low-income families, single parents, and families with younger children spend a considerably higher share of their earnings on child care. Families with earnings below the federal poverty level who pay for child care spend an average of 23 percent of their monthly earnings on childcare. The average dollar amount that a family spends on child care in a month varies widely across states, reflecting differences in state costs of living, but the share of earnings that a family spends does not.