Child Care in the United States, 1970 to 1995

Abstract

As the proportion of children with mothers who are working has increased, so has the interest and concern about their care arrangements. This study utilizes trends in the proportion of children with a mother in the labor force along with trends in the number of children to project the proportion of children with employed mothers in 1990 and 1995, by age of child. The authors profile the current distribution of children in nonparental care and look at trends over the past two decades. They then present the most recent information on current supply of child care and trends in that supply. Finally, implications of recent developments for the supply of and demand for child care in the future are discussed.