The Best Laid Plans: Expectations, Preferences, and Stability of Child-Care Arrangements

• Published in: Journal of marriage and family 2006-05, Vol.68 (2), p.373-393
• Main Authors: Gordon, Rachel A., Högnäs, Robin S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Child Care; Child Care Services; child-care arrangements; Childbirth; Children; Data analysis; Employment; Expectation; Family structure; Health care policy; Homes; Ideal type; Intervals; Labour market participation; maternal employment; Modeling; Mothers; Paid Work and Family Life; Parents; Planning; Prediction; Preferences; Quality of care; Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations; Sociology; Sociology of the family. Age groups; Stability; Standard error; transition to parenthood; Working mothers
• ISSN: 0022-2445; 1741-3737
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00259.x

This study considers whether an earlier and more extensive search for child care, and a match of the type used to the type preferred, predicts arrangement stability. We used the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care to estimate multinomial logit models of arrangement changes over 3-month intervals between 3 and 12 months (n = 958 children and 2,223 observation's). Use of preferred care predicted greater arrangement stability, and parents who settled early on 1 option were less likely later to switch care types. Those who planned earlier were more likely to use their preferred care type and to use higher quality settings. This study encourages future research on how, when, and with what success parents search for child care.