Introduction
For most families, the process of finding and paying for child care and early education (CCEE) is challenging. Families ultimately select CCEE arrangements that accommodate their unique circumstances, family values and culture, and multiple constraints related to income, employment, family composition, transportation, and availability of child care options in their community.[1],[2]
Searching for CCEE can be easier if more information is readily available to help families find the provider that fits best with their needs. States have recently developed consumer education websites as a result of statutory changes under the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF). These websites facilitate searching for CCEE by providing information about child care assistance, licensing, and quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), and by offering a searchable list of CCEE providers. At the same time, families are not always aware of state resources that could inform their child care search. States therefore need to consider the information they offer on their consumer education websites and how to best reach families with this information.
Purpose
This highlight draws key findings from two reports focused on families’ search for child care and states’ efforts to provide parents with consumer education to help inform their child care search process:
Methods
Recommendations
- Seek families’ feedback on consumer education strategies. Families’ input can help strengthen the usefulness of states’ child care consumer education strategies, including the information on their websites, to ensure it aligns with families’ needs and priorities when they are searching for care.
- Consider options to improve search engine optimization. State consumer education websites are not always easily found. Additional search engine optimization (SEO) can help improve the ranking of states’ consumer education websites. Only 5 states reported in their 2019-2021 CCDF state plans that they were utilizing SEO. On-page and off-page design strategies can improve the likelihood that families will find state websites when they are searching for care.
- Integrate or better link CCEE information websites. Combining websites, when possible, to provide one place for families to go to find information is ideal. If that is not possible, including easy-to-find links between websites may help families find the information they need during their search for CCEE.
- Ensure information provided through states’ consumer education website(s) address each dimension of access:
- Reasonable effort: information is easy to find.
- Affordability: includes information about reduced cost or free/public CCEE.
- Supports child development: includes information about what influences the quality of CCEE and considerations for selecting a high quality program.
- Meet parents’ needs: child care search meets families’ needs, such as searching for care during non-traditional hours or for caregivers who speak the same language as the family.
Appendix
Footnotes
[1] Chaudry, A., Henly, J., & Meyers, M. (2010). ACF-OPRE White Paper: Conceptual frameworks for child care decision-making. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/opre/conceptual_frameworks.pdf
[2] Weber. R. (2011). Understanding parents’ child care decision-making: A foundation for policy making. OPRE Research-to-Policy, Research-to-Practice Brief OPRE 2011-12. Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.researchconnections.org/childcare/resources/20787
Citation
Banghart, P. (2022). Factors that Influence Families’ Search for Child Care and Early Education. OPRE Report #2022-70. Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Glossary
- CCEE:
- Child care and early education
- Access:
- The definition of access is informed by literature on child care decision-making and includes four interrelated dimensions: “with reasonable effort, all families can find and use affordable care that meets the family’s needs and supports their children’s development.”
- QRIS:
- Quality rating and improvement systems
- CCDF:
- Child Care and Development Fund