Examining Child Care Need Among Military Families

by Gates, Susan M.; Zellman, Gail L.; Moini, Joy S.; Suttorp, Marika

• ISBN13: 9780833039026
• ISBN10: 0833039024
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-08
• Publisher: RAND CORPORATION

Summary

Describes and analyzes the results of a 2004 survey on the child care needs and choices of military families. It defines outcomes of potential interest to DoD (reported child-care usage, unmet child-care need, and unmet child-care preference), details the distribution of these outcomes among military families, and analyzes the relationships between these outcomes and military readiness and retention.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. iii
Tables	p. vii
Summary	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xvii
Acronyms	p. xix
Introduction	p. 1
The Military Child-Care System	p. 2
The System Provides Significant Subsidies for CDC Use	p. 2
The System Provides Special Preference for Dual-Military and Single-Parent Families	p. 4
Objectives	p. 5
Data	p. 5
The Demand for Military Child Care Is an Illusive Concept	p. 6
Definitions	p. 8
Unmet Need for Care	p. 8
Likelihood of Leaving the Military	p. 9
Unmet Preference	p. 9
Child Care Use	p. 10
Scope and Limitations	p. 10
Organization of the Report	p. 11
Factors Influencing Child Care Choice and Unmet Need	p. 13
Price	p. 13
Proximity	p. 14
Availability	p. 15
Family Status	p. 16
Availability of Family Member to Care for Child	p. 16
Relationship Between Child Care and Satisfaction with Military Life	p. 17
Summary of Hypotheses	p. 18
Methodology	p. 19
Description of Survey	p. 19
Weighting of Survey Responses	p. 21
Analysis of Survey Results	p. 22
Independent Variables Used in the Analysis	p. 22
Analysis of Unmet Need	p. 25
Analysis of Unmet Preference	p. 26
Analysis of Families Likely to Leave the Military Due to Child Care Issues	p. 26
Child Care Choice	p. 26
Results	p. 29
Overview of Survey Responses	p. 29
Characteristics of Survey Respondents	p. 29
Child Care and Military Readiness	p. 30
What Survey Responses Reflect in Terms of Child Care Need	p. 30
Unmet Need	p. 32
Unmet Preference	p. 32
Likelihood of Leaving the Military	p. 37
Child Care Choice	p. 41
Conclusions	p. 51
Child Care Demand Is a Difficult Concept to Analyze in the DoD Context	p. 51
Unmet Child-Care Need Is Not Prevalent Among Military Families	p. 52
Unmet Preference Is More Common Than Unmet Need	p. 52
Child Care Concerns May Influence Retention Decisions	p. 52
Dual-Military and Single-Parent Families Experience Challenges	p. 53
Families Living Off Base Are Less Likely to Use DoD-Sponsored Care	p. 53
DoD CDC Users Appear to Have a Weaker Attachment to the Military	p. 53
Local Market Conditions Are Related to the Child Care Choices That DoD Families Make	p. 53
Results from This Study May Help Inform DoD Policy Decisions Related to Child Care	p. 54
Appendix
Focus Group Summary	p. 55
Survey Nonresponse Analysis	p. 63
Child-Care Survey Instrument	p. 65
References	p. 91
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