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INCOME AND EARNINGS
NATIONAL STUDY OF CHILD CARE FOR LOW-INCOME FAMILIES
Measure: Income and Earnings Questions from the Parent Interview, Family Child Care Provider Interview, and the Community Survey
Source
The National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families is funded by the
Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The study is being conducted by Abt Associates in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University’s Joseph Mailman School of Public Health in New York City.
Population Assessed
“Information for the study is collected at three levels, with nested samples of communities within states and families and providers within communities. The first level is a sample of 17 states containing 25 communities that were selected from a national sampling frame to be as close as possible to a representative sample of counties with child poverty rates above 14 percent. At the family level, the study includes several samples: a random sample of 2,500 low-income families (with incomes under 200% of federal poverty guidelines) with working parents and at least one child under age thirteen for whom they use non-parental child care in the 25 communities (100 per community); a sample of 650 low-income parents who are receiving, or are eligible for, child care subsidies, and who are using family child care at the start of the study; and a sample of the 650 family child care providers linked to these 650 families” (DHHS, 2000, p. 9). The sample is not representative of all 50 states.
Periodicity
The study began in September 1997 and ended in June 2003. Information for the study was collected twice for the states, once in 1999 and again in 2001. Information about the communities was collected three times from 1999 to 2001. Information about the family child care setting was collected once.
Components
Income and earnings questions are included in the parent interview, the family child care provider interview, and the community survey. The parent interview includes the parent’s current employment status and salary, benefits, child care subsidies, housing subsidies, expenses such as rent/mortgage payments, amount spent on utilities per month, food stamps, other expenses such as food and clothing, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and transportation costs. The parent interview also asks about total household income including all form of income and questions about the Earned Income Tax Credit. Most of the questions refer to the past year.
The family child care instrument asks only about total income for the household and what part of
the income was from child care.
The community survey asks about current employment and salary, child care subsidies, and total
income over the past month, as well as total income over the past year, including welfare,
subsidies, and other forms of income.
Procedures for Administration
This information is not readily available.
Psychometrics/Data Quality
This information is not readily available.
Languages Available
This information is not readily available.
Items Included
The interviews can be requested by contacting the National Study of Child Care for Low- Income Families Project Director (Jean Layzer, jean_layzer@abtassoc.com).
PARENT INTERVIEW
Because of the large number of questions, only a limited number of sample questions are provided
below.
C. Parent’s Employment
C1. Do you currently have a paid job or jobs? This would include paid babysitting,
housecleaning, or paid community service work.
C2. How many paid jobs do you currently have?
C6. How much money do you earn from this job [these jobs]?
C7a. Is that before taxes or is that after taxes?
C9. Does your job [any of your jobs] include any of these benefits?
Medical Insurance for employees
Medical Insurance for children
Dental Insurance for employees
Dental Insurance for Children
Sick Time
Vacation or Holidays
Life Insurance
Retirement Plan
Information about Child Care Resources
Regular on-site child care
Emergency or drop-in child care
M. Housing and Other Costs/Income
M1. Do you currently…
Own your own home
Rent your home or apartment
Live with family or friends and not pay rent
Live with family or friends and pay part of rent
Live in a group shelter
Live in some other arrangement (Specify)
Jail
Homeless
Live alone and rent free
M2. Do you live in public housing?
M3. Do you pay less rent because the government pays part of it, through Section 8 housing, for
example?
Other questions include monthly expenses, child care costs, public assistance and other subsidy
information.
FAMILY CHILD CARE PROVIDER INTERVIEW
F. Caregiver Characteristics and Experience
F8. Approximately what was the total income of your family last year before taxes? Please
include your income and that of all members of your immediate family who are living with you
and any other sources of income you may have.
F10. Could you tell me approximately how much of your family income was received from child
care last year?
COMMUNITY SURVEY
Because of the large number of questions, only a few sample questions are provided below.
C. Parent’s Employment
C1. Do you currently have a paid job or jobs? This would include paid babysitting, housecleaning, or paid community service work.
C2. How many paid jobs do you currently have?
C6. How much money do you earn from this job [these jobs]?
C7a. Is that before taxes or is that after taxes?
C9. Does your job [any of your jobs] include any of these benefits?
Medical Insurance for employees
Medical Insurance for children
Dental Insurance for employees
Dental Insurance for Children
Sick Time
Vacation or Holidays
Life Insurance
Retirement Plan
Information about Child Care Resources
Regular on-site child care
Emergency or drop-in child care
F. Knowledge and Use of Subsidies
F2. Do you receive a child care subsidy or voucher for your child/any of your children?
F2a. Where does the subsidy or voucher come from?
F2b. Does your child care provider receive a direct payment from a government agency for your child care?
H. Demographic Information
Now I’d like to ask about the income you received last year. Remember that this information will remain confidential and will not be reported to any agency.
H3. First I’d like you to tell me, if you can, what your total household income was last month?
H4. Was that before taxes or was that after taxes?
H5. Now I would like to ask you about your total household income for the last year for all the people in your household, including you. Again, consider all sources of cash income, including jobs, alimony, child support, welfare, Unemployment Insurance, Social Security, SSI, or Worker’s Compensation. Exclude food stamps or food checks. Please tell me the number that is closest to your total household income for last year.
H5a. Are you currently receiving Food Stamps?
H5b. Was any of your income last year from welfare payments?
H5c. When you filed your income taxes for last year, did you claim the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)?
References and Source Documents
The interviews can be requested by contacting the National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families Project Director (Jean Layzer, jean_layzer@abtassoc.com).
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2000, November). National Study of Child Care for Low-Income Families: State and community substudy interim report. Washington, DC: Author. Available at http://www.abtassoc.com/reports/NSCCLIF.pdf
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