Influences on neighborhood supply of child care in Massachusetts

In examining the relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and neighborhood supply of licensed child care in Massachusetts, we find a limited supply of center care, especially full-day care, in low-income neighborhoods. Although there is a better supply of family child-care providers, it is nevertheless more limited than in higher income neighborhoods. The number of children ages 5 and under emerged as the most important factor determining availability of care. We base our findings on 1990 census tract data, arguing that zip code data provide too large a geographic area to capture the nuances of supply at the neighborhood level. Other variables considered include employment levels, residential stability, the ratio of adult men to women, the ratio of infants to children under age 11, the ratio of young children to adults, and the proportion of single working mothers.