Child care Affordability among Families who have Children with Disabilities

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Social Policy

Abstract

Finding and maintaining affordable child care is essential for working families. Federal guidelines suggest child care costs should not exceed 7 percent of a family’s household income (U.S. DHHS, 2016); yet, the average cost exceeds this benchmark of affordability in all states (Fraga et al., 2017). This affordability barrier is compounded for families who have young children with disabilities (Ceglowski, 2009) and for low-income families (Baldiga et al., 2018), who often face further challenges accessing child care.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act, reauthorized in 2014, is a federal program promoting access to child care, particularly for low-income families, through child care subsidies. The 2014 CCDBG also provides guidance regarding which children and families should be prioritized for services, which includes children with special needs (CCDBG Section 658E(c)(3)(B)(ii)(I)). However, previous research has not fully explored child care costs for low-income families with children with disabilities. More specifically, the extant literature has not discussed the extent to which these prioritized families spend more than what is recommended by federal guidelines (at or above 7% of income), a critical missing piece of research needed to inform policy decisions and implementation.
This study is examines child care affordability for low-income families with young children with disabilities. Using the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), we explore two research questions: (1) what is the likelihood of having a high child care cost burden for low-income households with a child with a disability in comparison to low-income households with all typically developing children, and (2) what household characteristics predict having a high child care cost burden, among low-income households with a child with a disability.
To answer these research questions, we conducted a series of logistic regression models using the NSECE household public data file (NSECE, 2012).
The sample was restricted to households with income below 200% of the federal poverty level with at least one child under the age of 6. Households missing information on disability or household child care cost burden were excluded. The final sample included 3,125 households (unweighted) representing 6,438,042 households (weighted).
Two logistic regression models were conducted. The first model tested for differences in likelihood of paying a high child care cost (at or above 7% of income) between families with a child with a disability and families with all typically developing children. The second model was exploratory and examined demographic predictors of affordability (based on prior literature) within families with a child with a disability. Logistic regression analyses were weighted using normalized NSECE 2012 household level analytic weights.
Preliminary analyses suggest that low-income families with young children with disabilities are more likely to pay high child care costs than low-income families with all typically developing children (p < .05). Community poverty density, community urban density, having an infant/toddler, having a residing grandparent, and using center-based care emerged as predictors of child care affordability within low-income families with young children with disabilities. Implications of these findings for CCDBG policy implementation will be discussed.

Authors

• Danielle Riser, University of Delaware
  Presenting Author

• Annette Pic, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author

• Gerilyn Slicker, University of Nevada Las Vegas
  Non-Presenting Author

• Saira Zaman, University of Delaware
  Non-Presenting Author