A Demographic Comparison Between the Listed Home-Based Early Care and Education Workforce and Children in their Care

Research BriefEarly ChildhoodJun 11 2021

An early care and education (ECE) workforce that reflects the racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of the children in their care is an important dimension of child care quality (Downer, Goble, Myers & 2016; Markowitz, Bassok & Grissom, 2020). In 2012, out of the approximately 3.8 million members of the home-based early care and education workforce,1 107,220 were listed on a state or national registry of care providers, were paid to care for children, and provided regular care (i.e., at least five hours a week) for at least one child with whom they did not have a prior relationship (although they may have also cared for children with whom they had a prior relationship). These 107,220 teachers and caregivers served approximately 2 million children under age 6, and not yet in kindergarten (Paschall, Madill & Halle, 2020). Using the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE), this snapshot compares the demographic characteristics of the listed, paid home-based ECE workforce providing regular care for at least one child with whom they have no prior relationship, and the demographic characteristics of the children in their care.

This snapshot is the third in a series of reports that describe the demographic characteristics of the ECE workforce using the 2012 NSECE data. The first report provides a descriptive analysis of the professional characteristics and motivations of the center- and home-based ECE workforce.2 The second report compares the demographic characteristics of the populations of center- and homebased ECE workforce and the populations of children enrolled in center- and home-based ECE, as well as compares the populations of ECE teachers and caregivers across communities with varying levels of demographic diversity.3 This third snapshot provides unique, additional information by comparing the demographic characteristics of the home-based workforce and the children in their direct care.

This brief is part of the Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis (CCEEPRA) project. CCEEPRA supports policy and program planning and decision-making with rigorous, research-based information.

Footnotes

Newsletters