Singer J D, Fuller B, Keiley M K, Wolf A
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
Dev Psychol. 1998 Sep;34(5):1129-44. doi: 10.1037//0012-1649.34.5.1129.
More than half of all U.S. infants and toddlers spend at least 20 hr per week in the care of a nonparent adult. This article uses survival analysis to identify which families are most likely to place their child in care and the ages when these choices are made, using data from a national probability sample of 2,614 households. Median age at first placement is 33 months, but age varies by geographic region, mother's employment status during pregnancy, mother's education level, and family structure (1 vs. 2 parents, mother's age at 1st birth, and number of siblings). Controlling for these effects, differences by race and ethnicity are small. Implications for studies of child-care selection and evaluations of early childhood programs are discussed.
超过半数的美国婴幼儿每周至少有20个小时由非父母成年人照料。本文利用一项针对2614户家庭的全国概率抽样数据，通过生存分析来确定哪些家庭最有可能让孩子接受他人照料，以及做出这些选择的年龄。首次接受照料的年龄中位数为33个月，但该年龄因地理区域、母亲孕期就业状况、母亲教育水平以及家庭结构（单亲与双亲、母亲初育年龄和兄弟姐妹数量）而异。在控制了这些因素的影响后，种族和族裔差异较小。文中还讨论了对儿童照料选择研究和幼儿项目评估的启示。
