Who's Minding Our Preschoolers?

This report presents a statistical portion of the child care arrangements working parents use for their preschoolers, and changes observed in those arrangements from 1988 to 1993. Data shown by the Survey of Income and Program participation suggest that: (1) Almost half of preschoolers are cared for by relatives while their mothers are at work; (2) Preschoolers' child care arrangements have changed dramatically over the past few years; (3) Mothers working evening or night shifts and mothers working part time have an easier time arranging for relative and in-home care; (4) Black and Hispanic mothers rely more heavily on their relatives to provide child care assistance while they are working than do White mothers; (5) Children who live with only one parent are much more likely to be cared for by their grandparents and other relatives than are children who live with married-couple parents; (6) Relatives provide a great deal of child care for preschoolers in poor families; (7) Children in families receiving benefits are more dependent on relatives to provide child care; and (8) Organized child care facilities are more popular in the South and in the suburbs. (AA)