This Snapshot uses data from the 2012 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) to examine caregiving arrangements for young children with special needs¹ to better understand where these children receive early care and education (ECE) services. Findings in this Snapshot are focused on children under age 6 and ECE providers serving children under age 6.

Key Findings

According to analyses of the 2012 NSECE:

• Roughly 5 percent (1.2 million) of the 23 million children under age 6 in the United States had a condition that affected the way their parent cared for them. This condition includes children with diagnosed or undiagnosed disabilities, special health care needs, and behavioral or emotional needs.
• Nearly one third (32%) of children under age 6 without special needs were cared for solely by their parents, compared to nearly one fifth (19%) of children under age 6 with special needs.
• Among children with special needs, the most commonly used nonparental care type was center-based care. Twenty-five percent of children with special needs used center-based care, compared to 20 percent of children without special needs.
• A greater proportion of children with special needs relied on a combination of nonparental care types (20%), compared to their peers without special needs (13%).
• Thirty-three percent of centers that serve children under age 6 cared for at least one child with a physical condition that affected their care.
• Twenty-two percent of listed home-based providers that serve children under age 6 cared for at least one child with a condition that affected their care.