Fast Facts
Child care
Question:
What are the most prevalent forms of early child care and education environments for children before they enter kindergarten?
Response:
In 2019, approximately 59 percent of children age 5 and younger and not enrolled in kindergarten were in at least one weekly nonparental care arrangement, as reported by their parents. Among children in a weekly nonparental care arrangement, 62 percent were attending a day care center, preschool, or prekindergarten (center-based care), 38 percent were cared for by a relative (relative care), and 20 percent were cared for in a private home by someone not related to them (nonrelative care).
| Percentage of children from birth through age 5 and not yet in kindergarten participating in various weekly nonparental care arrangements, by child and family characteristics: 2019 | |||||
| Characteristic | Weekly nonparental care arrangement | No weekly nonparental care arrangement | |||
| At least one weekly nonparental care arrangement | Type1 | ||||
| Relative care | Nonrelative care | Center-based care2 | |||
| Total | 59 | 38 | 20 | 62 | 41 |
| Child’s age | |||||
| Less than one year | 42 | 58 | 26 | 32 | 58 |
| 1 to 2 years | 55 | 44 | 25 | 47 | 45 |
| 3 to 5 years | 74 | 26 | 14 | 83 | 26 |
| Childs race/ethnicity | |||||
| White, non-Hispanic | 61 | 34 | 23 | 65 | 39 |
| Black, non-Hispanic | 63 | 45 | 13 | 59 | 37 |
| Hispanic | 56 | 44 | 16 | 57 | 44 |
| Asian or Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic | 55 | 35 | 12 | 67 | 45 |
| Other race, non-Hispanic3 | 59 | 32 | 23 | 62 | 41 |
| Family type | |||||
| Two parents or guardians | 58 | 35 | 20 | 63 | 42 |
| One parent or guardian | 65 | 50 | 17 | 60 | 35 |
| Highest education level of parents/guardians | |||||
| Less than high school | 43 | 49 | 18! | 55 | 57 |
| High school/GED | 49 | 49 | 17 | 56 | 51 |
| Vocational/technical or some college | 56 | 43 | 17 | 58 | 44 |
| Bachelors degree | 64 | 34 | 21 | 64 | 36 |
| Graduate or professional degree | 75 | 29 | 23 | 70 | 25 |
| Household income | |||||
| $20,000 or less | 51 | 43 | 17 | 64 | 49 |
| $20,001 to $50,000 | 46 | 45 | 14 | 59 | 54 |
| $50,001 to $75,000 | 55 | 46 | 22 | 50 | 45 |
| $75,001 to $100,000 | 58 | 42 | 18 | 59 | 42 |
| $100,001 or more | 74 | 29 | 22 | 69 | 26 |
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.1 Among children with at least one weekly nonparental care arrangement.2 Center-based arrangements include day care centers, Head Start programs, preschools, prekindergartens, and other early childhood programs.3 “Other, non-Hispanic” includes American Indian/Alaska Native children who are not Hispanic and children who are Two or more races and not Hispanic.NOTE: Estimates represent about 12,594,000 children who have at least one weekly nonparental care arrangement. Children may have multiple weekly arrangements across the three types of care; therefore, a single child may be represented in multiple columns of this table. Among all children from birth through age 5 and not yet in kindergarten, 11 percent of children’s parents reported having more than one type of regularly scheduled weekly nonparental care arrangement. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
The mean length of time that children had been in their primary care arrangement was longest for children cared for by a relative (19 months) and shortest for children in a center-based care arrangement (14 months). The most common location for children’s primary center-based care arrangement was a building of its own (42 percent). Other reported locations were a church, synagogue, or other place of worship (20 percent); a public school (19 percent), and other locations (19 percent).
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2021). Early Childhood Program Participation: 2019 (NCES 2020-075REV), Table 1.
Related Tables and Figures:(Listed by Release Date)
- 2021, Digest of Education Statistics 2019, Table 202.10. Enrollment of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children in preprimary programs, by age of child, level of program, control of program, and attendance status: Selected years, 1970 through 2018
- 2021, Digest of Education Statistics 2019, Table 202.30. Number of children under 6 years old and not yet enrolled in kindergarten, % in center-based programs, average weekly hours in nonparental care, and % in various types of primary care arrangements, by selected child and family characteristics: 2016
- 2021, Digest of Education Statistics 2019, Table 202.40. Child care arrangements of 3- to 5-year-old children who are not yet in kindergarten, by age and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1991 through 2016
- 2021, Digest of Education Statistics 2019, Table 202.60. Percentage distribution of quality rating of child care arrangements of children at about 4 years of age, by type of arrangement and selected child and family characteristics: 200506
- 2021, Digest of Education Statistics 2020, Table 202.20. Percentage of 3- to 5-year-old children enrolled in school, by age and selected child and family characteristics: 2010 through 2019
- 2021, Digest of Education Statistics 2020, Table 202.25. Percentage of 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled in school, by race/ethnicity and state: 2019
- 2021, The Condition of Education 2021: Enrollment Rates of Young Children
- 2019, % of children from birth through age 5 and not yet in kindergarten participating in weekly nonparental care and the mean # of hours per week that children spend in current primary weekly nonparental care arrangements, by child and family characteristics: 2016
- 2018, The Condition of Education 2018: Early Childhood Care Arrangements: Choices and Costs
Other Resources:(Listed by Release Date)
- 2021, Early Child Care in Single-Parent and Two-Parent Families: 2019
- 2021, Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS): This survey includes three longitudinal studies that examine child development, school readiness, and early school experiences.
- 2021, National Household Education Surveys Program (NHES): This site provides access to publications and data on learning at all ages, from early childhood to school age through adulthood.
- 2020, NCES Blog: What Do Parents Look for When Choosing an Early Childhood Care Arrangement?
- 2017, Early Childhood Program Participation, Results from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2016
- 2017, NCES Blog, Changes in Children's Nonparental Care Arrangements From 2001 to 2012
- 2017, The Years Before School: Childrens Nonparental Care Arrangements From 2001 to 2012
