Hispanic Children’s Participation in Early Care and Education: Parents’ Perceptions of Care Arrangements, and Relatives’ Availability to Provide Care

We examined parents’ perceptions of different types of child care arrangements and whether relatives (and other adults living with them) are available to provide care to those parents’ children. More specifically, using data from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), we assessed how Hispanic parents’ (with children between 0 and 5) perceptions of various types of early care arrangements—center-based, home-based, non-relative, and relative care—differ from those of their white and black counterparts. We looked at these parents’ perceptions regardless of whether their children were in care, or the type of care they used. We also considered how the availability of relatives and other adults who might provide care for young children differs across Hispanic, black, and white households and by household poverty level.