Care.com Survey Spotlights the Impact of COVID-19 on Parental Behaviors and Attitudes Towards Childcare
June 17 2020 - 09:00AM
Business Wire
Majority of respondents are uncomfortable
placing their children in daycare as states reopen and nearly half
are more concerned about the cost of childcare than
pre-pandemic
Today, Care.com, the world’s leading platform for finding and
managing high-quality family care, revealed findings from its
national COVID-19 Childcare Survey fielded to assess the impact of
the pandemic on parental attitudes towards and plans for childcare
as states reopen. Complementing this new data, Care.com also
released the results of its annual Cost of Care Survey,
highlighting the stark reality of the financial and familial
impacts of childcare, stressors in the workplace for parents,
childcare in the political arena, and more.
“Parents across America were struggling to find affordable and
accessible childcare prior to COVID-19, but this challenge has been
exacerbated by the pandemic and thrust our nation’s care crisis
into the spotlight,” said Tim Allen, CEO of Care.com. “Our economic
recovery rests on people’s ability to get back to work and for
parents, that makes childcare indispensable. But with social
distancing, remote work, and the closure of businesses that many
parents rely on, a new dynamic of childcare is quickly emerging,
and if we don’t take action now to solve this childcare crisis,
there will be huge ramifications for all of us.”
Key highlights from the COVID-19
Childcare Survey:
- Childcare Choices Will Change: 63% of respondents who
use daycare are somewhat or very uncomfortable returning their
children to daycare as states reopen, and more than one-third (35%)
of those are now considering in-home care instead.
- Economic Woes Drive Concerns: More than half (52%) of
the parents surveyed anticipate that the cost of childcare will be
higher than before COVID-19 and nearly that many (47%) are more
concerned about the cost of childcare now than they were before the
pandemic.
- Employers and the Government Need to Step Up: Nearly all
surveyed (96%) say it is important for government and business
leaders to provide additional financial support for childcare as
Americans transition out of quarantine.
- Moms Hit Harder: For families with one or both parents
working from home, 41% say mom has been doing the majority of extra
childcare work while working from home, compared to just 15% who
say dad has done the majority.
Key highlights from the 2020 Cost of
Care Survey:
- Weekly Childcare Costs Have Risen Significantly in the Last
Six Years:
- Nanny: $565 (up 20% from $472 in 2013)
- Childcare Center: $215 (up 16% from $186 in 2013)
- Family Care Center: $201 (up 58% from $127 in 2013)
- Au Pair: $401 (up 11% from $360 in 2013)
- Top 5 Most Affordable States for Nannies and Childcare
Centers:
- To hire a nanny: New Jersey, Maryland, Alaska, Connecticut and
North Dakota.
- To use a childcare center: North Dakota, Utah, Delaware, New
Jersey, and South Dakota.
- Top 5 Least Affordable States for Nannies and Childcare
Centers:
- To hire a nanny: Mississippi, New Mexico, Arkansas, Arizona and
Florida.
- To use a childcare center: Washington, D.C., California,
Oregon, New Mexico, and New York.
- Childcare & Household Income: More than half of
families (55%) spend at least $10,000 per year on childcare, more
than the average annual cost of in-state college tuition ($9,410)
per CollegeBoard.
- Research & Awareness: 70% of parents say childcare
costs surprised them when they started having children, followed by
the cost of diapers (33%) and formula (31%).
- Impact on Working Parents: 60% of working parents didn’t
think the cost of childcare would influence their career decisions,
yet more than half (54%) had to make workplace changes in order to
afford it.
- Childcare Driving Election Decisions: 71% of families
say childcare policies will impact how they vote in the election in
November.
For the complete results, please visit
www.care.com/costofcare.
COVID-19 Childcare Survey Methodology This survey was
conducted using the online survey platform Pollfish and compiled by
DKC Analytics. The sample of 2000 adults (18 years or older) in the
United States are all parents of children under 16 years-old who
report paying for childcare services. They were surveyed between
May 20 and May 22, 2020. The margin of error is 2.23% and the
sample was weighted for an even gender balance. Pollfish’s survey
platform delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and
the mobile web along with the desktop web.
2020 Cost of Care Survey Methodology The Cost of Care
Survey is an annual survey to measure the relative cost of care in
the U.S. and how care impacts families’ budgets and employment. The
Care.com 2020 Cost of Care Survey captured responses from 3,848
parents in the United States during the month of May 2020.
Respondents were recruited from Care.com. Weekly rates for a nanny
are based on Care.com 2019 member data, childcare center and family
care center rates are based on rate information from centers listed
on Care.com, and au pair rates, which are based on data from
Cultural Care Au Pair, Au Pair in America, and Au Pair Care.
Affordability rankings are calculated based on the average cost of
care in relation to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2016 American
Community Survey that includes the state median family income of
households with children.
About Care.com Available in more than 20 countries,
Care.com is the world’s leading platform for finding and managing
high-quality family care. Care.com is designed to meet the evolving
needs of today’s families and caregivers, offering everything from
household tax and payroll services and customized corporate
benefits packages covering the care needs of working families, to
innovating new ways for caregivers to be paid and obtain
professional benefits. Since 2007, families have relied on
Care.com’s industry-leading products—from child and elder care to
pet care and home care. Care.com is an IAC company (NASDAQ:
IAC).
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200617005114/en/
Natasha Gavilanez Senior PR Associate
Natasha.gavilanez@care.com
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