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Chapter Eight: The Family Child Care Providers

In this chapter we turn to family child care providers and their homes. The chapter discusses provider attitudes about child care and provider perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of family child care for parents and for themselves as providers.

In addition, the chapter describes some of the features of the family child care homes: the schedule for providing care and the flexibility of that schedule, arrangements for when a child or caregiver is sick, the amount of turnover in enrollment, fees charged for care and variations in payments received by the providers in the sample. Again, differences between homes with children related to the provider and those with unrelated children are examined, as well as differences between homes with various age configurations of children.

Reasons Providers Care for Children

When providers were asked why they started to provide child care in the first place, the reasons given were different for relative care providers and other providers (Exhibit 8-1). Providers of relative care cited their desire to help relatives or friends as the main reason for initially going into family child care. For other providers, the reason given most frequently was to be able to have a job while staying at home with their own children. For all types of providers, enjoyment of children was high on the list of reasons for providing family child care. The reasons for becoming child care providers given by caregivers in our sample paralleled those given by caregivers in other studies. In other studies, relative providers were most often providing care to help out the child’s parents (Galinsky et al., 1994; Kontos et al., 1995; Maleske-Samu, 1996; Porter, 1998), while others provided child care in order to stay home with their young children (Erheart and Leavitt, 1989; Galinsky et al., 1994).

Providers’ reasons for continuing to provide care also varied by type of care (Exhibit 8-2). For providers of relative care, the desire to help relatives and friends continued to be the main motivation. For providers who cared for at least some unrelated children, the main reason for continuing to provide care was their enjoyment of working with children. As other studies have found (e.g., Zinsser, 1991; Galinsky et al., 1994), for unrelated providers who stay in the field, child care seems to become a career choice.

Exhibit 8-1:

MAIN REASON PROVIDERS START OUT IN FAMILY CHILD CARE

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home

	All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Providers %
Stay home with own children	14.8	37.8	47.9	38.4
Enjoyment of children	24.6	19.2	17.1	19.5
Help relatives/friends	39.3	14.7	5.4	16.2
Fill need for good child care	7.4	9.6	8.3	8.5
Make money	3.3	4.5	8.8	6.2
Have own business	0.8	4.5	4.2	3.5
Had taught in child care center	4.1	0.6	2.9	2.5
Trained/experienced in child care	3.3	1.3	1.7	1.9
Playmates for own children	0.8	1.9	1.2	1.4
Religious calling	0.8	2.6	0.4	1.2
Sample size	122	156	240	518

Source: Provider Interview

Exhibit 8-2:

MAIN REASON PROVIDERS CONTINUE IN FAMILY CHILD CARE

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home

Main Reason	All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Providers %
Enjoyment of children	26.6	51.7	48.7	43.2
Stay home with own children	11.7	12.9	22.7	17.3
Help relatives/friends	41.7	9.5	5.2	15.3
Fill need for good child care	8.3	12.2	11.4	10.9
Make money	4.2	4.1	7.4	5.6
Have own business	0.8	5.4	3.5	3.4
Teach children what they need	1.7	0.7	0.4	0.8
Other reasonsa	5.0	3.4	0.7	3.4
Sample size	120	147	229	496

a Include giving children structure and routine, creating fun learning environment. Source: Provider Interview

Advantages and Disadvantages of Family Child Care

Providers were asked about what they saw as the advantages and disadvantages of family child care, both for the families of the children in their care and for themselves as providers.

Advantages of Family Child Care for Families

The two advantages of family child care most commonly cited pertain to the child’s experiences (Exhibit 8-3). Almost two-thirds of the providers believed it is advantageous for a child to be cared for in a setting that is more like the child’s own home. Also, more than half of the providers believed that children in family child care receive more individual attention, presumably because of the smaller number of children in care. Other advantages cited for the child are that he or she can be with siblings (26%) or with children of different ages (15%).

Exhibit 8-3:

ADVANTAGES FOR FAMILIES WHO USE FAMILY CHILD CARE: PROVIDER VIEWS

Percentage of Providers by Type of Homea

		All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Providers %
Parent Needs	Flexibility of hours/match parent’s schedule	32.8	49.0	48.4	45.0
	Siblings can be in same place	19.3	34.2	25.0	26.4
	Lower cost	14.3	27.1	19.3	20.5
	Care is close to child’s home	3.4	11.0	13.5	10.4
	Children can stay in care if ill	0.8	0	1.2	0.8
	Any parent need (above)	70.6	89.0	84.4	82.6
Parent/Provider Relationship	Provider is like family member	28.6	30.3	35.2	32.2
	Can help parent and child	24.2	19.4	20.5	21.0
	Provider shares parent values	12.6	14.2	15.2	14.3
	Parents know, trust provider	3.4	0.7	2.9	2.3
	Any aspect of parent/provider relationship (above)	50.4	45.8	48.8	48.3
Child Care Environment	Care is like a home	54.6	63.2	66.8	62.9
	More individual attention	37.8	67.7	61.9	58.1
	Children of mixed ages	6.6	14.8	19.7	14.7
	Safe, healthy environment	0	3.2	3.3	2.5
	Consistent care with 1 provider	0	0.6	1.2	0.8
	Any aspect of care environment	71.4	89.7	87.7	84.6
Sample size		119	155	244	518

a Percentages do not add up to 100% because multiple responses were allowed. Source: Provider Interview.

The major advantage for parents (cited by 45% of providers) is the flexibility of hours for family child care, and therefore the ability of family child care to meet the needs of parents’ work schedules. Because family child care is available at a wider range of times than center care and because providers are flexible about changing or irregular schedules, they are able to provide care at hours that match parents’ schedules. Other advantages for parents were: the lower cost of family child care, compared with center care (21%); and the fact that family child care can be found close to the parent’s home (10%). Qualities of the parent/provider relationship were also cited as advantages of family child care. Shared values and being like a family member were advantages cited by 14 percent and 32 percent of providers, respectively. Further, about one-fifth (21%) of providers saw themselves as a resource for parents as well as children.

Providers in different types of family child care homes perceived different advantages of family child care. Providers who cared only for related children were less likely to identify individual attention for children as an important advantage (38% versus more than 60% among other providers). They were also less likely to mention flexibility of hours as an advantage for parents (33% versus more than 40% for other providers). Indeed, these providers came up with fewer advantages overall, suggesting that this was not a question to which they had given as much thought, compared with providers caring for unrelated children.

Advantages of Being a Family Child Care Provider

Providers were asked about the advantages to them of being family child care providers. For providers who cared only for related children, helping others was the most important advantage of being a family child care provider (Exhibit 8-4). Different ways of helping others (helping children learn, helping out young parents) were cited by 68 percent of these providers, compared with 57 percent of providers who cared for both unrelated and related children and 52 percent of providers who cared only for unrelated children.

For providers who cared for unrelated children, different characteristics of the job itself were the most important advantages, including working for oneself while still being a teacher and not having to worry about standard job requirements such as business attire (72% compared with 41 percent of those who care only for related children). Being able to stay home with one’s own children was cited as an advantage by almost half (47%) of the providers.18 It was more of a factor for providers who cared for unrelated children (58%) than for providers who cared only for related children (24%), most of whom were grandparents.

Disadvantages of Being a Family Child Care Provider

Most providers (76%) saw no personal disadvantage to the caregiver role; unrelated providers were even less likely (92%) to perceive any disadvantages (Exhibit 8-5). The most commonly identified disadvantages were personal stresses. Nineteen percent of caregivers mentioned some personal stress, although less than half as many of the providers caring for only related children mentioned any personal disadvantages. The stresses mentioned most often were insufficient personal time (10%) and wear and tear on their home (10%). Professional disadvantages were mentioned by 9 percent of providers, but primarily by providers caring for unrelated children. Problems with parents were cited by unrelated providers but not by providers who cared for related children.

Exhibit 8-4:

PERSONAL ADVANTAGES TO PROVIDERS OF FAMILY CHILD CARE

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home a

		All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Providers %
Job Characteristics	Feel independent	18.6	29.9	45.5	38.3
	No business attire or traffic	10.3	24.3	26.4	22.5
	Being a teacher but working for self	12.4	19.6	20.4	18.5
	Feel like professional	8.2	8.1	14.5	11.2
	Like working from home	1.0	2.7	3.8	2.9
	Need/like the money	4.1	1.4	0.8	1.7
	Any job characteristic (above)	41.2	60.8	71.5	62.1
Helping Others	Can teach children things they need	47.4	42.6	37.9	41.2
	Can help young parents	41.2	29.7	23.8	29.2
	Enjoy working with children	0	7.4	9.8	7.1
	Any aspect of helping others (above)	68.0	56.8	51.9	56.7
Benefits to Own Family	Can stay at home with own children	23.7	44.6	58.3	47.1
	Like caring for family members	4.1	0.7	0.8	1.5
	Any benefit to own family (above)	26.8	45.3	59.2	48.3
Sample size		97	148	235	480

a Percentages do not add up to 100% because multiple responses were allowed. Source: Provider Interview.

Exhibit 8-5

PERSONAL DISADVANTAGES OF PROVIDING CHILD CARE

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home a

		All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Providers %
Personal Life	Wear and tear on home	3.1	8.1	14.9	10.4
	Not enough personal time	5.2	10.1	11.9	10.0
	Not enough time for own children	0	2.7	3.4	2.5
	Always at home/isolated	0	0	1.3	0.6
	Any aspect of personal life b	8.2	16.9	24.3	18.8
Problems with Parents	Parents pick up children late	0	2.0	6.8	4.0
	Parents change schedules	0	1.4	5.5	3.0
	Parents don’t respect provider	0	1.4	5.1	2.9
	Parents don’t pay	0	6.1	1.3	2.5
	Parents pay late	0	0	3.4	1.7
	Transportation problems for kids	0	2.9	0	0.8
	Any problem with parents	0	6.1	15.7	9.6
Professional Life	Not paid enough	2.1	6.1	8.5	6.4
	Not seen as a professional	0	0.7	5.5	2.9
	Any aspect of professional life c	2.1	6.1	13.6	9.0
Difficulties of Job	Hard to treat children the same	1.0	0	0.4	0.4
	Licensing standards are too high	0	0.8	0.4	0.4
	Any difficulty of job d	1.0	0.8	1.7	1.3
	No disadvantages mentioned	92.2	77.8	66.7	76.1
Sample size		97	148	235	480

a Percentages do not add up to 100% because multiple responses were allowed. b Items listed above plus others: exposed to illness, hard on spouse, children in care are bad influence on own children. c Items listed above plus others: inconsistent pay, no professional support or networking. d Items listed above plus others: not licensed to care for special needs children. Source: Provider Interview

Stresses on Providers

Providers were asked about various kinds of stresses related to their jobs (Exhibit 8-6). One category of stress concerns the ways in which being a family child care provider interferes with their own family life. These include ways in which their job affects their own mental health and energy, and conflicts between their family and their job responsibilities that create stress.

When asked about kinds of stress they experienced in the preceding three-month period, most providers did not report mental health issues. The most commonly-cited, identified by a quarter to a third of providers, were; insufficient time for themselves; being unable to get everything done that they wanted to; and feeling “used up” at the end of the day. Other feelings of stress (e.g., feeling burned out by work, lacking energy) were identified by 25 percent of providers. Although providers in different types of homes did not give answers that were very different, fewer providers who cared for only related children reported feeling stressed compared with other providers.

Exhibit 8-6:

STRESSES FOR FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDERS

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home

		All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Providers %
Feelings of Stress in Last 3 Months a b	Insufficient time for self	20.0	32.9	45.7	35.8
	Unable to get everything done	21.6	28.5	40.8	32.6
	Felt used up at end of day	13.7	24.1	29.6	24.2
	Insufficient time for family	11.2	18.9	24.7	19.6
	Felt tired when facing work day	15.2	13.3	21.4	17.5
	Felt burned out by work	9.6	11.4	14.2	12.2
	Lack of energy to do things	7.2	13.9	15.0	12.8
	Not been in a good mood	5.6	8.9	14.2	10.6
	Felt nervous or stressed	4.0	8.2	4.8	5.7
Work/Family Conflicts	Need to do housework while working with the children	64.2	64.7	62.8	63.7
	Own children resent children in care	20.0	34.7	42.0	35.0
	Parents picking up late	9.8	36.5	46.3	34.8
	Parents who bring sick children	18.3	26.1	39.9	28.4
	Other family members resent disruption	8.6	24.8	28.3	22.6
	Other conflicts	1.7	8.3	14.5	9.6
Areas of Life Creating Stress c d	Personal or family finances	46.8	48.1	4.9	50.9
	Providing care for children	24.8	39.5	45.9	39.0
	Own health	40.8	34.2	35.8	36.5
	Family relationships	31.2	30.4	27.8	34.0
	Health of family members	29.6	25.4	30.7	28.8
	Care of family member w/ disability	17.2	14.9	11.8	14.1
Sample size		125	158	249	532

a Items scored on 5 point scale, with 1=very often, 2=often, 3=sometimes, 4=rarely, 5=never. b Percent who responded “Often” or “Very Often” on item. c Items scored on 4-point scale, with 1=no stress, 2=hardly any stress, 3=some stress, 4= a lot of stress. d Percent who responded “Some stress” or “A lot of stress” on item. Source: Provider Interview

On the other hand, many providers said that they experienced conflicts between their responsibilities to their families and to the children they care for. More than 60 percent of all providers reported needing to do their own housework or errands while caring for children. More than a third of providers had problems with parents picking up their children late, and more than a quarter of providers had problems with parents who leave sick children with symptoms such as a rash or fever. Further, providers reported resentment from their own family, including resentment from their own children of the children in care (reported by 35% of providers) and resentment among other family members about the disruption in household activities caused by the child care in the home (23%). Work/family conflicts were reported half as frequently by providers who cared only for related children.

Providers were also asked about areas of their lives aside from their child care responsibilities that were causing them stress. Family finances were the most frequently-cited aspect of providers’ lives that created worry or stress. About half of all providers said that personal or family finances cause “some” or “a lot” of stress. Three other areas of stress for at least a third of providers were: caring for their own children; the providers’ own health; and relationships in their own families.

Income From Child Care

Average annual income from child care was $19,000, which represented just over half (53%) of the average annual household income for these providers (Exhibit 8-7). The average across all providers masks large differences among providers in the proportion of household income that came from child care . For providers who cared only for related children, the average annual income from child care was $4,000, compared with $21,000 a year for providers who cared for a mix of related and unrelated children and $23,000 a year for providers who cared for unrelated children only. One reason that relative caregivers received less income from child care is that they were much less likely to receive cash payments from parents, or they were paid token amounts for the care provided. The income from child care for the three groups of providers represented 28 percent, 63 percent, and 60 percent of their household income, respectively.

Exhibit 8-7:

ANNUAL INCOME FROM CHILD CARE AND ITS PROPORTION OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME

Average and Median by Type of Home

		All Children Related to Provider	Some Children Related to Provider	No Children Related to Provider	All Family Child Care Providers
Annual household income	Mean income	$20,275	$35,932	$44,733	$36,571
	Median income	$16,000	$30,000	$39,000	$28,500
Annual income from child care	Mean income	$4,083	$20,556	$23,299	$19,200
	Median income	$2,000	$19,999	$18,000	$16,000
Income from child care as % of household income	Mean proportion of HH income	27.6	63.2	59.8	56.4
	Median proportion of HH income	13.3	63.1	56.4	50.0
Sample size		125	158	249	532

Source: Provider Interview

Aspects of the Care Arrangement

Family child care homes differ from centers, and may be more responsive to the needs of some families, in terms of their schedules, their willingness to accommodate sick children and their flexibility with respect to both schedule and fees.

Schedule of Care

Family child care providers were asked about their hours of operation; the total number of hours in a day that children can be in the setting, the availability of off-hours care (nights and weekends), and the flexibility of care (irregular schedules) (Exhibit 8-8).

Annual Schedule. Family child care homes typically operate year-round and offer more flexible hours of operation than most child care centers. The family child care homes in this sample provided care, on average, 50 weeks of the year. However, almost half (45%) provided care all 52 weeks of the year. This was more often true for relative care (80%), compared with the other types of home (35%). A few homes that provided care only for related children did so during the nine months or so of the school year. Presumably they provided before- and after-school care, and parents made other arrangements during the summer and other school vacations.

Hours Each Day and Week That Care is Provided. In addition to providing care year-round, homes in the study provided care beyond the standard hours that a center would typically be open. On average, care was provided for 13 hours a day, but 5 percent of the homes provided care for virtually 24 hours. Across all homes, care was provided for an average of 67 hours a week. In homes with only related children, care was provided for fewer hours per week, on average, than in homes with some or all unrelated children (57 hours vs. 69 and 71 hours respectively).

Care During Non-Standard Hours. Many of the parents in the study worked during non-standard hours or had irregular schedules, and many homes were able to accommodate these schedules. More than half (51%) of the homes provided care during weekend hours, and a majority (58%) provided off-hours care. Almost half (47%) of the providers combined off-hours care with a willingness to accommodate irregular and varying schedules, and an additional 15 percent would accommodate varying schedules within standard hours. In addition, most (77%) of the providers made special arrangements for early drop-off or late pick-up at the parent’s request.

Homes in which all children were related to the provider were more likely to provide weekend care (71%) and to accommodate both off-hours and irregular schedules (70%).

Exhibit 8-8:

SCHEDULE AND HOURS OF OPERATION IN FAMILY CHILD CARE

Average Hours Open and Proportion with Special Arrangements by Type of Home

		All Children Related to Provider	Some Children Related to Provider	No Children Related to Provider	All Family Child Care Providers
Average # weeks open in a year		51.4	51.0	50.7	50.9
Homes open 52 weeks a year (%)		80.2	35.3	34.6	44.7
Average # hours of care each day		12.8	13.4	12.8	13.0
Makes special arrangements for: (%)	For early/late pick-up/drop-off	58.1	83.4	86.2	78.8
	For weekend care	71.2	49.6	39.2	48.1
	For off-hours care	70.4	61.5	50.2	58.4
	For irregular/varied schedules	69.6	64.1	57.6	62.4
	Charges extra for early/late pick-up or drop-off (%)	15.5	34.3	43.4	35.7
Sample size		125	158	249	532

Source: Provider Interview

Care Arrangements for Children who are Sick

Working parents are faced with a problem when children are sick. Most centers and many family child care homes will not allow a parent to bring a sick child to the center or home and will ask parents to come and pick up a child who falls sick while in care. Providers were asked about arrangements when a child is sick, when they themselves are sick, and in an emergency (Exhibit 8-9). Almost half (42%) of the homes in the study would allow a parent to leave a feverish child in care, and more than half (53%) would care for a child who has a severe cough. Less than one-third (29%) were willing to have parents leave a child with a rash.

Providers who cared for all related children were more willing to take care of feverish children than providers who care for unrelated children (60% vs. 44% and 33%) and twice as likely to care for a child with a rash (51% vs. 21% and 23%), probably because they assumed that siblings would already have been exposed.

Almost all providers (93%) were willing to administer prescription medicines to a child, and almost as many (88%) were willing to administer over-the-counter drugs when necessary; and this was true for all types of homes.

Arrangements When the Provider is Sick

The assumption is often made that a family child care home arrangement will be disrupted if the provider is sick; the providers in the study suggested otherwise. Only 26 percent of all caregivers said that they do not provide care when sick, and this proportion was similar across all types of homes. The majority of providers (59%) found someone to cover for them when they are sick; and a much smaller number (15%) continued to provide care when they are sick. Responses varied little among different types of homes and providers.

Emergency Procedures

Almost all providers had procedures in place for medical or household emergencies. At least 90 percent of providers had a list of doctors’ phone numbers for all children, medical release forms for all children in case emergency medical care is needed, and a plan in place in case a child in care needs emergency medical care. In addition, nearly all providers had a list of persons to whom a child could be released. A smaller proportion of providers who cared only for related children had medical release forms for all children in care and actual lists of persons who could pick up children.

Exhibit 8-9:

ARRANGEMENTS FOR SICK CHILDREN, PROVIDER ILLNESS, AND EMERGENCIES

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home

			All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Homes %
When Child is Sick	Allow parents to leave child with:	Feverish appearance	59.7	43.6	32.6	42.2
		Severe cough	63.1	47.1	50.6	52.6
		Rash	51.2	20.6	23.1	28.9
	Administer medicines to child:	Over-the-counter medicines	86.4	88.6	88.3	88.0a
		Prescription medicines	93.6	91.8	93.1	92.8b
		Sick children are separated c	65.8	68.8	68.0	67.8d
When Provider is Sick	No care provided		23.1	21.0	30.4	25.8
	Provider finds another caregiver		61.2	64.2	55.4	59.4
	Provides care anyway		15.7	14.9	14.3	14.8
Emergency Procedures	Keeps phone number of each child's doctor		80.8	89.9	92.7	89.1e
	Medical release for each child		74.4	93.0	95.6	89.8f
	Plan in case a child needs emergency medical care		94.4	100.0	98.8	98.1
	List of person child can be released to		67.2	97.5	98.4	95.5g
	Plan in case of fire		96.8	99.4	99.2	98.7
Sample size			125	158	247	530

a An additional 10% of providers administer over-the-counter medications “sometimes.” b An additional 5% of providers administer prescription medications “sometimes.” c Separated routinely, put in a separate room. d An additional 14% responded “sometimes” put in separate room. e An additional 8% say that they have doctor’s phone number for “some but not all children.” f An additional 8% say they have a medical release for “some but not all children.” g An additional 4% say that they have a list for “some but not all children.” Source: Provider Interview

Turnover and Replacement of Children in Care

The child population in these homes was pretty stable. More than two-thirds (69%) of providers reported that, in a specific three-month period, no children left care; and more than half (57%) reported that no new children entered the home in the same period. In almost 10 percent of homes, a single child left the home during the three-month period, and in 15 percent a new child entered the home. The remaining 20 percent of homes experienced substantial turnover; in almost 12 percent, two or three children left the home in a three-month period, and in 18 percent, two or three new children entered the home. In 7 percent of homes, between four and six children left the home and a similar number of new children entered the home.

Fees for Care

Across all types of homes, the average weekly fee charged for child care was $83.17. The average weekly fee charged for relative care was $60.03.

Most providers charge varying fees, depending on a range of factors (Exhibit 8-10). Nearly half of all providers charged more for children who were in care part-time versus full-time, charged a different amount for a second or subsequent child from the same family, or charged different fees for children of different ages. Between 30 percent and 40 percent of providers took family income into account when setting fees and charged extra for picking up and/or dropping off children.

Other factors cited by about one-quarter of providers as reasons for varying parent fees were: whether an agency was paying for the care; or whether meals or diapers were provided.

Exhibit 8-10:

REASON FOR VARIATION IN FEES CHARGED FOR CARE

Percentage of Providers by Type of Home

			All Children Related to Provider %	Some Children Related to Provider %	No Children Related to Provider %	All Family Child Care Homes %
Provider does not vary fees			40.0	30.4	17.7	26.1
Reasons for varying fees:	Number of children from same family		22.9	56.1	49.7	47.0
	Family income		42.0	36.1	36.5	37.6
	Relationship of provider to family		27.7	26.6	20.0	23.7
	Hours/week child is in care		50.0	43.5	51.6	48.8
	Child's age		46.5	43.2	51.0	47.7
	Child is not yet toilet trained		31.2	18.8	14.4	19.4
	Child has handicap		26.2	17.7	16.4	19.1
	Outside agency is paying for care		22.3	28.5	28.8	27.3
	Special services are provided for child:	Diapers	20.8	9.6	6.8	10.9
		Meals	28.0	11.5	13.3	16.2
		Transportation	28.2	11.5	6.4	12.8
Sample size			125	158	249	532

Source: Provider Interview

Summary of Findings The ability to work at home while raising young children motivated many providers; however, for those who were caring for a relative’s children, a desire to help out a family member was the dominant reason. For children, providers perceived family child care as offering individual attention in a place that looks like home. For parents, the flexible hours offered by family child care was seen as the major advantage. The average weekly fee for care was $83.17. For care by a relative, the weekly fee was $60.03. Average annual income from child care was $19,000, representing just over half of average annual household income. For those who cared only for related children, the average annual income from child care was much lower—$4,000 compared with $23,000 a year for providers with no related children in care. Family child care homes provided care on average for 13 hours a day, 67 hours a week year-round. About half offered weekend or off-hours care and almost half would accommodate irregular schedules. Almost half were willing to take care of children when they were sick. Just over one-third of the providers felt stressed by the lack of personal time and the demands placed on their time. A similar proportion reported resentment of the children in care on the part of other family members. These kinds of stresses were much less frequent for providers who care only for the children of relatives.

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