The nonpartisan research organization National Opinion Research
Center at the University of Chicago has fielded a longitudinal survey of working-age
adults for AEI since shortly after the pandemic hit. Our newest findings suggest
that families’ school and childcare situations have improved since the beginning
of 2021. The results also suggest that whatever labor force participation
problems remain for parents are likely not driven by limited childcare supply,
but rather health concerns and other factors.  

The newest wave of survey data from September 2021 shows the school situation has improved dramatically for students in the new school year compared to last year, although parents still reported experiencing challenges such as needing to care for their children at home and work disruptions due to child-related responsibilities. Contrary to reports of a childcare crisis, parents with young children in our survey used childcare at similar rates across survey waves, and they reported fewer health concerns and difficulties meeting their childcare needs by September 2021 compared to earlier in the pandemic.

School-age children

By September 2021, the vast majority of parents with school-age
children reported that their children were in person full time at school, representing
a widespread shift away from virtual and hybrid schooling formats during the
previous school year.

In September 2021, 62 percent of parents of school-age
children reported that handling child-related responsibilities in the past six
months was the same as or easier than before the pandemic, up from
approximately 45 percent in July 2020 and February 2021. The shift toward
in-person school likely contributed to parents’ improved perspectives, but it
is also possible that other things, such as a strong labor market and general availability
of vaccines, played a role in how parents felt.

Parents also reported fewer challenges, including a smaller
share who reported work disruptions and caring for children at home in the
months leading up to September 2021 compared to February 2021. However, 36
percent of parents still reported a work disruption in the latest survey wave, including
changing job schedules, working fewer hours, and refusing or quitting a job due
to child-related responsibilities.

Childcare for young children

Our survey results suggest that childcare usage rates among families
with young children have not changed much during the pandemic, calling into
question the narrative that limited childcare supply has been a major challenge
for families. Parents with young children at the time of all three surveys (a
group that included 343 parents) used childcare prior to the pandemic at
similar rates as in the two survey waves after the pandemic started. By
September 2021, a slightly higher share of these parents used childcare than in
prior survey waves; although because this is a longitudinal survey, child
maturation may have played a role as well (children are more likely to be in
childcare as they age).  We also looked
at all parents with a young child at the time of each survey (not necessarily
in all three waves), and the trend was the same.

The reasons these parents cited for not using childcare also
suggested that limited childcare supply was not a major problem. Not needing
childcare and fears over COVID-19 remained the most commonly cited reasons for
not using childcare in September 2021, similar to February 2021.

More broadly, parents of young children reported fewer
employment-related disruptions related to their child responsibilities in
September 2021 than in February 2021, although disruptions remained common.

Parents’ ability to meet their childcare needs also improved
by September 2021, with approximately two-thirds reporting it was somewhat or
very easy to meet their current childcare needs.

Overall, our longitudinal survey presents a picture of an
improving situation for parents of school-age and younger children by September
2021, while still highlighting some ongoing challenges associated with the
pandemic. Notably, the in-person school situation improved dramatically by
September 2021 and likely contributed to reports of greater ease in handling child-related
responsibilities. Additionally, our survey confirms prior results that suggest
a similar share of parents with young children were using childcare as before
the pandemic, and reduced childcare supply was not a major problem for families.

Research suggests that increased caregiving responsibilities throughout the pandemic have contributed to lower labor force participation among mothers. Importantly, however, our survey suggests that limited childcare options are not the driving force behind increased caregiving responsibilities. Instead, health concerns appear to be the primary reason. This suggests that increasing maternal labor force participation will require making parents feel more comfortable putting their children in a childcare or school setting.

The post Survey data suggests school and childcare situation continues to improve for families appeared first on American Enterprise Institute – AEI.