Child care arrangements for children under five: Variation across states

Over the past decade, child care has emerged both as an issue of public concern and a key component of U.S. social policy. The large number of mothers with preschool children in the workforce has made America’s families more reliant on non-parental care and raised public awareness of early care and education as an issue of public policy. Many children now spend at least some time in child care during their critical developmental years. As a result, child care centers, family child care homes, relatives, and nannies have become essential to working families with children. Policymakers also have recognized the importance of child care because of the role it plays in helping parents work and because of the impact it can have on the development of children. In 1996, for example, policymakers considered child care a key factor in helping welfare recipients attain self-sufficiency, and accordingly, the federal welfare reform legislation—the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)— highlighted child care as a work support mechanism.