Abstract
The current generation of working parents faces new challenges to the traditional family model. Despite this, they select forms of home-based child care more than any other type of care. Prior data also reveal that parents who use home-based care, center-based care, and family day care all cite “quality” as the primary reason for their choice. Given the similarity of reason and the difference in care actually used, working parents who use home-based care were interviewed on additional reasons for their choice. These parents lacked confidence in center-based care and preferred their children to receive one-to-one attention. Age of child, cost of care, and availability of centers did not affect choice. These adults seem to be selecting home-based care in an attempt to provide care as close as possible to parental care. They are making a statement on the importance of the home environment even as their participation in the workplace increases.
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Krauss, J. Brief Report: Safe at Home Base: Working Parents' Reasons for Choice of Home-Based Child Care. Journal of Adult Development 5, 59–66 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023021130819
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023021130819