Who uses nontraditional-hour child care?

Introduction

This snapshot analyzes 2019 National Survey of Early Care and Education (NSECE) data to examine how common it is for children to be in care during nontraditional hours (NTH) and the characteristics of these children and their families.

Key findings:

• 40 percent of children younger than age 6 in nonparental care but not yet in kindergarten were in some care during NTH.
• Nearly half of young Black children in nonparental care but not yet in kindergarten spent some time in NTH care. This rate is higher than those for white, Latino/a, and AAPI children and may be related to structural inequities in educational and work opportunities.
• About a third of children in families with higher incomes were in NTH child care, compared with nearly half of children in families with incomes below the federal poverty level.
• Children in rural communities were more likely to be in NTH care compared with children in urban areas.
• Children who lived in communities with less poverty were less likely to be in NTH care compared with those living in communities with either medium- or high-density poverty.