Early Childhood Program Participation in 2012

This report presents findings from the Early Childhood Program Participation Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2012 (NHES:2012) from the National Center for Education Statistics within the Institute of Education Sciences. The Early Childhood Program Participation Survey collected data on children’s participation in relative care, nonrelative care, and center-based care arrangements. It also collected information from parents about the main reason for choosing care, what factors were important to parents when choosing a care arrangement, and parents’ participation in various learning activities with their children.

Findings include:

• Approximately 60 percent of children age five and younger 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, 56 percent were attending a day care center, preschool, or prekindergarten (center-based care); 42 percent were cared for by a relative (relative care); and 24 percent were cared for in a private home by someone not related to them (nonrelative care).

• Among children with relative care, the primary caregiver for 78 percent of children was grandparents in the primary relative care arrangement, compared to 11 percent who were cared for by aunts and uncles and 10 percent whose care was provided by other relatives.

• The most common location for children’s primary center-based care arrangement, as reported in the survey, was a building of its own (46 percent). Other reported locations were a church, synagogue, or other place of worship (20 percent); a public school (20 percent); and various other types of locations (14 percent).