Childcare Hours Research Articles

The Day-Level Association Between Child Care Attendance and 24-Hour Movement Behaviors in Preschool-Aged Children.

Twenty-four hour movement behaviors (ie,physical activity [PA], screen time [ST], and sleep) are associated with children's health outcomes. Identifying day-level contextual factors, such as child care, that positively influence children's movement behaviors may help identify potential intervention targets, like improving access to child care programs. This study aimed to examine the between- and within-person effects of child care on preschoolers' 24-hour movement behaviors. Children (N = 74, 4.7 [0.9]y, 48.9% girls, 63.3% White) wore an Axivity AX3 accelerometer on their nondominant wrist 24hours per day for 14days to measure PA and sleep. Parents completed surveys each night about their child's ST and child care attendance that day. Linear mixed effects models predicted day-level 24-hour movement behaviors from hours spent in child care. Children spent an average of 5.0 (2.9)hours per day in child care. For every additional hour of child care above their average, children had 0.3hours (95%CI,-0.3 to -0.2) less ST that day. Between-person effects showed that compared with children who attended fewer overall hours of child care, children who attended more hours had less overall ST (B = -0.2h; 95% CI, -0.4 to 0.0). Child care was not significantly associated with PA or sleep. Child care attendance was not associated with 24-hour PA or sleep; however, it was associated with less ST. More research utilizing objective measures of ST and more robust measures of daily schedules or structure is necessary to better understand how existing infrastructure may influence preschool-aged children's 24-hour movement behaviors. In addition, future research should consider how access to child care may influence child care attendance.

Non-parental Childcare During Early Childhood and Problem Behaviour Trajectories from Ages 5 to 14 Years.

Using data from the nationally representative Millennium Cohort Study, this study examined the association between age of starting and weekly hours in formal childcare between birth and 5years with internalising and externalising behaviour trajectories from ages 5 to 14years in England (N = 6194 children). Associations were analysed using multilevel general linear regression models, with adjustment for socio-economic position, maternal mental health, demographics, and child temperament. Later entry was associated with more internalising behaviours at age 14years. Children who spent > 40h per week in childcare between birth and 3years displayed more externalising behaviour at 5years than children who did not attend childcare. Controlling for socio-economic position and parental mental health attenuated findings.

Family Structure and Childcare in Sub-Saharan Africa

Extended family members can help women with childcare. Using data from 32 sub-Saharan African countries, we find that the prevalence of nuclear families relative to extended families is increasing over time. The overall share of nuclear families is 56 percent and is higher in rural areas. We then use detailed time-use data on childcare provision from 110 rural villages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We find that while women do receive childcare assistance from their extended family, they provide 84 percent of childcare hours. These results highlight the need for formal childcare provision, particularly in rural areas.

Mother’s Instinct? Biological Essentialism and Parents’ Involvement in Work and Childcare

AbstractDespite wide public support for gender equality in work and caregiving, family responsibilities are still divided predominantly along traditional gender lines. This study examined the role of biological essentialism in the division of family roles using a nationally representative sample of British parents with young children (N = 5,605). Both mothers’ and fathers’ essentialist beliefs about men’s and women’s innate ability to care for children were associated with a more traditional division of childcare tasks, more hours of childcare provided by the mother, and fewer hours of childcare provided by the father. When gender role attitudes were considered together with biological essentialism, only essentialism was a significant predictor of involvement in childcare. Finally, the results supported our predictions that the effect of biological essentialism is mediated through parents’ work hours, and that essentialism affects mothers’ and fathers’ involvement in work and childcare in opposite directions. Taken together, the findings suggest that essentialist beliefs are a key hindrance to greater gender equality because they motivate parents to divide roles according to traditional gender norms. These findings may be of particular interest to practitioners and policy makers interested in increasing fathers’ involvement in childcare, mothers’ participation in the labor force, and overall gender equality.

What our children lost and gained at the time of school closure during the Covid-19 pandemic: a study on psychological distress, behavioural concerns and protective factors of resilience among preschool children in Kerala, India

BackgroundThe pandemic has put at risk the social and emotional development of children on account of the paucity of arenas for social interaction. This study from Kerala, India was conducted to assess the resilience factors, behavioural concerns, psychological distress symptoms among the children aged 3 to 5 years. We also tried to look into the lost opportunities that could have aided the social and emotional development of children like peer interaction, child care hours.MethodsThe cross-sectional study was conducted among the children aged 3 to 5 years. A total of 535 children attending the immunisation clinics were enrolled by consecutive sampling. Devereux Early Childhood Assessment P2 (DECA P2) questionnaire was used to assess the levels of resilient factors and behavioural concerns in the study population.ResultsWe observed a high proportion of children in the area of need category of protective factors under DECA P2. The proportion of children falling under area of concern was 64.5%, 49%, 68.4% for attachment/relationship, self-regulation, and initiative respectively. 24.9% study subjects have a behavioural concern score that puts them in the area of need category. The logistic regression model we created identified ‘Male Gender,’ ‘Mothers could spend only less time for child care’ and ‘electronic devices used as pacifier’ as significant predictors for belonging to Area of need Behavioural Concerns T score category.ConclusionA large proportion of children aged between 3 to 5 years with reported behavioural concerns and lack of protective factors for socioemotional development. This can be attributed partly to the ongoing pandemic and its associated restrictions. The increased child care hours invested by parents or grandparents could have sized down the full impact that the pandemic would have had on the socio emotional development of the child. Increased time spent using electronic devices coupled with dwindled opportunities for interaction with peers have been notable challenges.

Flexibility for equality: Examining the impact of flexible working time arrangements on women's convergence in working hours

AbstractDespite the rise in women's education and their increased participation in the workforce, there is still a lack of gender convergence in working hours. This study explores how flexible working time arrangements (FWTA) affect the convergence of women's working hours to those of men with similar job‐related characteristics. Using the German Socio‐Economic Panel and innovative methods to address endogeneity, the analysis suggests that FWTA, compared to fixed schedules, positively influence women's convergence. This is particularly pronounced among those working full‐time, the more educated, and those aged between 30 and 45. Transitioning to FWTA is associated with increased overtime and childcare hours but it is not related to more housework.

The link between hours of center-based childcare and child development in 3- to 6-year-olds: Evidence from Singapore

This study examined how the number of hours of early childhood education (ECE) is associated with young children's behavior problems and early academic achievement in Singapore, a non-WEIRD (“Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic”) country with families using long ECE hours. We drew data from the Singapore Longitudinal Early Development Study. Participants were 3- to 6-year-old children (N = 2,452). General linear models and spline regressions were utilized to analyze how ECE hours were associated with children's behavior problems and early academic achievement while controlling for child and family characteristics. On average, Singaporean children stayed 41.07 hours per week in ECE centers, with 38 % of the sampled children spending more than 50 hours per week in ECE centers. Notably, we found an inverted-U-shaped relation between ECE hours and child outcomes with a turning point of approximately 35–40 hours per week. Before the turning point, a greater number of hours in ECE was associated with more externalizing problems and higher academic achievement. However, after this point, a greater number of hours was associated with fewer behavior problems, both externalizing and internalizing, as well as poorer academic achievement. These findings demonstrate a complex nonlinear association between ECE hours and child outcomes in a context of children spending prolonged hours in centers.

Parental and work-related identities among primary caregiving and primary breadwinning mothers and fathers

This study draws on identity theory to explore parental and work-related identities by comparing primary caregivers and breadwinners. It examined how the salience and centrality of identities vary by gender and family role, and the relationships between identities and individuals’ involvement in paid work and childcare. A sample of 236 parents with young children completed extensive questionnaires. As hypothesised, primary breadwinners had more salient and central work identities than primary caregivers. However, there was no difference in parental identities, and within each role category, women had more salient and central work identities than men. Finally, the salience and centrality of parents’ work-related identities were positively related to time investment in paid work and negatively related to hours of childcare. These findings shed light on the complex relationships between family roles, gender and identities and emphasise the importance of distinguishing between identity salience and centrality as two components of self-structure.

Locked-in at home: The gender difference in analyst forecasts after the COVID-19 school closures

This paper explores the shock of school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to study the effect of childcare responsibilities on analyst forecasts. With manually collected data on whether analysts have children, I find that female analysts with children (mother analysts) are less likely to issue timely forecasts after school closures, compared to male analysts with children (father analysts). Mother analysts’ forecasts also become less accurate after school closures, but the negative effect only exists among forecasts for firms with relatively low institutional ownership, suggesting that mother analysts prioritize maintaining the forecast accuracy for firms that are more important to their careers. Additionally, mother analysts shift forecast release times to avoid childcare hours. My findings imply that childcare responsibilities hurt the productivity of mother analysts more than that of father analysts, even though these women have established themselves in a competitive industry.

Impacts of the COVID‐19 Lockdown on Gender Inequalities in Time Spent on Paid and Unpaid Work in Singapore

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has affected gender inequalities in time spent on paid and unpaid work globally. Few studies outside of the Western context (i.e., countries in Australasia, Europe, or the Americas) have used longitudinal data to compare time use before and during the pandemic, focused on potential mechanisms through which the pandemic affects gender inequalities in time use, or examined the heterogeneous effects of socioeconomic status. We examine the impact of the COVID‐19 lockdown on gender inequalities in time spent on paid work, housework, and childcare in Singapore. Using a panel dataset of 290 married women interviewed before, during, and after the lockdown, and applying between‐within models, we find that gender gaps in housework hours increased during and persisted after the lockdown, even as the gender gap in paid work hours narrowed. The gap in childcare hours expanded among households with fewer resources but decreased among households with more resources. Mothers responded to loss of income and employment by increasing their childcare and housework time more than fathers, suggesting that “doing gender,” rather than time availability or material resources, provide the key mechanism explaining gendered changes in time use. Our results highlight that when a pandemic strikes, women, especially those in less‐resourced households, were put in a particularly vulnerable position compared to men.

Child temperament and physical activity in young children.

Children's temperament has been noted to influence their physical activity (PA) levels. Therefore, understanding the influence of temperament during the early years may be helpful for developing appropriate PA habits and tailoring interventions to align with different personality traits. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between child temperament and objectively-measured PA in preschool-aged children. Data were collected as part of the Supporting Physical Activity in the Childcare Environment (SPACE) and SPACE extension studies. Temperament data were collected using the validated Very Short Form of the Children's Behavior Questionnaire, which assessed three dimensions of temperament (i.e., surgency, negative affect and effortful control). Physical activity data were measured during childcare hours over the course of 5 days, using Actical® accelerometers. Total PA was summed, along with light and moderate-to-vigorous PA using age-specific cut-points. Three regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the prediction of PA by the dimensions of temperament. A total of 399 participants (Mage = 3.34 years, SD = 0.63) were retained for analyses, wearing an accelerometer an average of 7.21 h/day. Temperament significantly predicted all three PA levels (P < 0.05), with both negative affect and surgency being significantly associated with PA. Surgency is typified by a predisposition towards high activity levels; therefore, it is not surprising that it was the primary predictor of young children's PA. Future research may investigate methods of targeting PA interventions towards children with temperaments that may not predispose them to seeking out increased activity levels.

Effects of the DAGIS randomized controlled trial on home environment and children’s food consumption according to the degree of implementation

BackgroundCombining process evaluation data with effectiveness data and examining the possible mediators of intervention effects elicits valuable knowledge about how and for whom these interventions are effective. The aim of this study was to examine whether the parental degree of implementation (DOI) of a home-involving preschool intervention affected children’s food consumption via home mediators.MethodsThe five-month Increased Health and Wellbeing in Preschools (DAGIS) intervention involved 476 participating children aged 3–6 years and was conducted in 2017–2018. Parents reported children’s food consumption (g/day) outside childcare hours, the availability of foods at home, role modelling of food consumption, and the norms related to food consumption. In addition, parents reported the extent to which they had implemented the intervention program at home. Mediation analyses were conducted to examine the effect of low and high DOI compared to control group on the change in children’s consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV), sugary everyday foods, sugary treats, and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) via food availability in the home, parental role modelling and parental norms.ResultsCompared to the control group, there was a direct effect of a high DOI on diminishing consumption of SSB (B -27.71, 95% CI -49.05, -4.80). No indirect effects were detected. In the high DOI group, a change in parental norm was associated with increased FV consumption showing an indirect effect (B 4.31, 95% CI 0.23, 10.59). In the low DOI group, there was an indirect effect via decreased food availability leading to decreased sugary everyday food consumption (B -2.17, 95% CI -5.09, -0.09).ConclusionsCombining process evaluation and effectiveness data revealed a decrease in children’s SSB consumption only in the high DOI group, as well as indirect effects on children’s consumption of FV and sugary everyday foods. In order to gain more intervention effects, further studies are required in order to examine parental facilitators and barriers to the implementation of interventions and how to impact effectively the determinants of the targeted behavior.Trial registrationISRCTN57165350 (8 January, 2015).

The Economic Well-Being of Nonresident Fathers and Custodial Mothers Revisited: The Role of Paternal Childcare

Based on panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) for the years 1998 to 2018, we investigate the association between paternal childcare and parental economic well-being after separation in Germany. Referring to the post-separation year, we explore a sample of 176 separated couples with resident mothers and nonresident fathers, where fathers differ in their childcare involvement during weekdays. We propose equivalized annual net household income after exchange of alimony and child maintenance payments among the ex-partners as a novel indicator of parental economic well-being. Our study reveals the importance of considering both paid and received alimony, and child maintenance payments in analyzing post-separation economic well-being. Fathers’ childcare engagement during weekdays is not significantly associated with maternal post-separation income. Resident mothers take up the major or even full childcare burden. On the other hand, fathers with non-zero childcare hours manage to combine some paternal engagement with intensified employment. Mothers, however, fail to gain substantial ground on the labor market, which is unlikely to be due to differences in human capital, but rather due to persistently high maternal childcare involvement. We conclude that neither high levels of own resources, nor receiving help with childcare during the week shield resident mothers from economic deterioration after separation.

Association between childcare movement behaviour compositions with health and development among preschoolers: Finding the optimal combinations of physical activities and sedentary time

ABSTRACT Little is known about how wake-time movement behaviour compositions while in childcare relate to children’s health and development. This study aimed to use compositional analysis to examine how childcare movement behaviour compositions were associated with standardised body mass index (zBMI) and physical and psychosocial functioning among children in the preschool setting. A total of 405 preschoolers wore accelerometers during childcare hours to measure their moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), light intensity physical activity (LPA) and sedentary time. Compositional regression, isotemporal substitution models, and the “Goldilocks” approach was used to examine how wake-time childcare movement behaviour compositions related to each of the outcomes. Engaging in greater LPA relative to MVPA and sedentary time was associated with higher BMI z-scores, replacing sedentary time or time spent in MVPA with LPA was associated with greater physical functioning, and spending more time in sedentary behaviours relative to overall physical activity was related with greater psychosocial functioning. It is not clear what the optimal wake-time movement behaviour composition while in childcare is for health and development; however, LPA and sedentary time while in childcare may have some benefits. More research is needed to aid the development of childcare-specific guidelines for physical activity and sedentary behaviours.

For better or worse: How more flexibility in working time arrangements and parental leave experiences affect fathers' working and childcare hours in Germany

Objective: In this study, we investigate the effect of flexible working time arrangements and parental leave experiences on the actual working and childcare hours of men.&#x0D; Background: Many fathers want to spend more time with their children and actively participate in family life, but, after becoming a parent, most work even more hours than before. To better combine work and family, the possibility of flexible working time arrangements might play a crucial role for fathers, also to become more involved in childcare activities.&#x0D; Method: We use longitudinal data of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) to examine how flexible working time arrangements, parental leave experiences, working hours, and childcare hours are related. Based on data between 2013 and 2019, panel regression models were estimated.&#x0D; Results: The results show that a change from fixed to flexible working time regulations leads to an increase in working hours for men and fathers. The longer working hours of fathers go hand in hand with a reduction in the time spent on childcare activities when switching to flexible working time arrangements. However, experiences with parental leave in connection with flexible working hours show a change in the use of time.&#x0D; Conclusion: Flexible working time regulations prove to be ambivalent for fathers: On the one hand, they offer fathers new leeway, on the other hand, due to traditional role models, they lead to longer working hours and thus less participation in childcare; but parental leave experiences make a difference, which indicates the importance of these regulations for fathers.

The Interplay among Parents’ Stress, Nonparental Childcare, and Child Language Development among Low-Income Toddlers

ABSTRACT Research Findings: Multiple factors likely influence the language development of young children growing up in low-income homes, potentially including stressors experienced by parents. Here, we ask: (1) What is the association between stress (i.e., economic hardship and parenting stress) and toddlers’ language development? and (2) Does number of hours spent in nonparental childcare moderate the relation between stress (i.e., economic hardship and parenting stress) and toddlers’ language development? Participants were 100 mother-child dyads participating in a longitudinal study when children were 0 to 24 months of age. Results showed a significant interaction between hours spent in nonparental childcare and parenting stress when predicting language growth: when parenting stress was high, childcare hours showed a positive relation with language growth; on the contrary, when parenting stress was low, the relation between childcare hours and language growth showed a negative tendency. Conversely, economic hardship did not predict language growth. Practice or Policy: These findings suggest that one potential approach to facilitate language development for low-income children is to help high-stress families secure early years childcare. Furthermore, programs to reduce parenting stress may help to promote children’s language growth, especially when families are not using nonparental care.

The Expectation of Student Parents to Self-Advocate: “The Ones Who are Successful are the Ones Who Keep Asking”

ABSTRACT We sought to understand barriers and facilitators to academic engagement among student parents at six community colleges, through in-depth interviews with student parents, staff, and faculty members (n = 49). Using a grounded theory approach, we found parents were expected to repeatedly self-advocate and request accommodations such as for extended childcare hours, food subsidies, and assignment deadlines. This burden was either constrained or relieved by 1) student parents’ strengths and strategies, 2) campus structures and groups operating collectively or in silos, and 3) the way faculty, staff, and campus programs responded to student parents’ needs. Community colleges can reduce the burden on students to request accommodations by presenting clear policies, streamlining resources to student parents directly, and normalizing their use.

It Takes a Village: Childcare and Women's Paid Employment in India

AbstractWhy is maternal employment higher in rural than in urban India? Among the relevant supply‐side factors, previous research has emphasized that rural work is more compatible with childcare. Results from the Indian Time Use Survey of 2019 show that hours of active maternal childcare are only slightly lower in rural areas, but the temporal and spatial flexibility of paid employment is much greater, making it easier for mothers to accommodate childcare responsibilities. In particular, rural women's work affords them greater access to flexible hours and the ability to work in close proximity to the home. Consequently, the negative effects of motherhood on employment are significantly greater for urban women than for rural women. This finding cannot be explained by rural–urban differences in household structure or resource constraints. These results redirect attention from average levels of time use towards a more nuanced analysis of sequence, timing, and opportunities for joint production or multitasking.

Something's Gotta Give: The Relationship Between Time in Eldercare, Time in Childcare, and Employee Wellbeing.

While existing research indicates that “sandwiched” employees (those with both childcare and eldercare demands) have lower wellbeing than employees with only eldercare demands, there is little understanding how childcare and eldercare demands interact to create those differences. Drawing on two studies, we hypothesize childcare demands amplify the negative impact of eldercare demands on wellbeing. Study 1 operationalizes childcare as a dichotomous variable (i.e., has childcare or not), and examines the relationship between hours per week in eldercare and wellbeing for two groups of employees: those with eldercare and those in the sandwich generation. Study 2, which operationalizes childcare as a continuous variable (i.e., hours in childcare per week), explores how time in childcare moderates the relationship between time in eldercare and wellbeing. Findings show time in eldercare is negatively associated with wellbeing, and the impact of childcare on the relationship between time in eldercare and wellbeing is dependent on how one operationalizes wellbeing and childcare constructs.

The relationship between child-centered teaching attitudes in childcare centers and the socio-emotional development of Japanese toddlers

This study investigated the relationship between the development of the socio-emotional abilities of Japanese children between the ages of one and 2 years, and the quality of care they receive at their childcare centers. The participants were 872 pairs of parents (M = 34.13 years old) and their children (M = 25.65 months old) who attended one of 57 public childcare centers in urban Japan, as well as 373 childcare teachers (M = 37.26 years old) who conducted classes. Parents rated their children's social competence and problem behaviors, and the child-centered teaching attitudes in classrooms were rated by the teachers. The results revealed that the child-centered teaching attitudes in classrooms contributed significantly to low problem behavior among 1- to 2-year-old children, even when child variables (age, sex) and family variables (family income, parent's education, and parent's responsibility) were controlled. Child-centered teaching attitude had a particularly pronounced effect when the family variable of parent responsibility was low. This is the first empirical evidence of this relationship in a non-Western country. Our results suggest the importance of child-centered teaching attitudes for children who experience long hours of childcare outside the home, along with teachers’ beliefs and attitudes regarding the quality of early childhood education and care, and related professional training.