Nonparental Child Care

Abstract

A majority of young children in the United States experience some form of regular nonparental child care. Nonparental child care can support children's development and also allow parents to seek employment outside the home. There are many different types of nonparental care, including center‐based child care, family child care settings, and family, friend, and neighbor care. This entry describes these different types of settings as well as demographic patterns of nonparental child care use within the context of nonparental child care markets, policies, and dimensions of quality of nonparental child care.