Understanding Families’ Needs and Preferences to Advance Measurement of Equitable Access to Child Care and Early Education

Many families face considerable barriers to accessing child care and early education (CCEE) that is affordable and meets their families’ needs. For example, families with low incomes face challenges to accessing affordable, high-quality care.¹ These challenges are heightened for Black, Latino, and Indigenous American families who are disproportionately more likely to work in jobs with low wages and limited flexibility.² Likewise, families for whom English is not their primary language,³ families living in rural areas, families with infants and toddlers, those who work non-standard hours, and families with a child with disabilities⁴ each face their own unique set of barriers to accessing care that fits their needs.

Policymakers need strategies to measure and track the number and characteristics of families using CCEE compared to those not using CCEE to better understand who is experiencing significant barriers to accessing CCEE. Historically, policymakers and researchers have measured CCEE access by examining the potential demand for care (i.e., the number of young children with employed parents who live within a certain geographic location) divided by the supply of care (i.e., the enrollment capacity of CCEE providers within the same geographic location), known as tots per slot.⁵ However, this analysis incompletely estimates access since it doesn’t consider whether a family actually needs and wants care, if the care that is available meets families’ needs, or how family needs and preferences vary by family and community characteristics. Further, these incomplete estimates don’t help identify and understand existing disparities in CCEE access.

---