Nontraditional-Hour Child Care in the District of Columbia

R E S E A R C H R E P O R T Nontraditional-Hour Child Care in the District of Columbia Heather Sandstrom Erica Greenberg Teresa Derrick-Mills Cary Lou Shirley Adelstein Charmaine Runes with Ashley Hong, Devon Genua, Travis Reginal, and John Marotta November 2018 C H I L D C A R E A B O U T T H E U R B A N I N S T I T U T E The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people’s lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places. Copyright © November 2018. Urban Institute. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to the Urban Institute. Contents Acknowledgments v Executive Summary vii Background 1 Motivation for Study 1 Overview of Report 2 Research Methods 4 Defining Nontraditional-Hour Child Care Facilities 4 Data Sources 5 Understanding the Complexity of Potential Demand for Nontraditional-Hour Care 9 How Many Children Need Nontraditional-Hour Care, and Where Do They Live? 10 How Old Are Children Who Need Nontraditional-Hour Care? 13 What Industries Require Parents to Work Nontraditional Hours? 14 How Does Potential Demand for Nontraditional-Hour Care Differ by Family Income Level? 16 How Does Work Location Relate to the Need for Nontraditional-Hour Care? 18 When Is Potential Demand for Nontraditional-Hour Care the Greatest? 19 How Does Parental Employment Industry Relate to the Hours When Parents Might Need Child Care? 22 How Do Nonresidents Add to the Demand for Nontraditional-Hour Care? 24 How Do Demand Estimates Account for Parents in School? 26 What Do Child Care Referral Requests Tell Us About the Need for Nontraditional-Hour Care? 26 What Are Local Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Demand? 28 Supply of Child Development Facilities with Nontraditional Hours 32 What Are the Characteristics of Nontraditional-Hour Facilities? 34 What Schedules Do Nontraditional-Hour Facilities Have? 38 How Does Nontraditional-Hour Facility Capacity Vary Across Wards and Age Groups? 42 Are Providers with Nontraditional Hours Caring for Children during All Licensed Hours? 48 Stakeholders’ Observations of the Supply of Nontraditional-Hour Child Care 50 Estimating Gaps between Potential Demand and Supply 53 Analytic Assumptions 53 Results of Gap Analysis 54 Providers’ Experiences and Perspectives on Providing Care during Nontraditional Hours 62 Providers Choose Nontraditional Hours Primarily to Meet Parental Demand 62 Providing Nontraditional-Hour Child Care Is Expensive and Often Not Profitable 64 Meeting Licensing Requirements for Late-Night and Overnight Care Is Difficult, Especially for Centers 66 Qualified Staff Willing to Work Nontraditional Hours Are Hard to Find 67 Space Limitations Make Nontraditional Hours Difficult in Some Locations, Even if the Need and Desire Are There 68 Extended Hours Can Add Stress and Burden for Individual Home-Based Providers 68 Strategies to Expand Supply of Nontraditional-Hour Care to Better Meet Demand 71 Strategy 1: Improve Outreach and Consumer Education 71 Strategy 2: Examine Quality Standards for NTH Care 72 Strategy 3: Stabilize Demand 73 Strategy 4: Differentiate Supports to Meet Start-Up and Ongoing Needs of NTH Providers 73 Conclusion 75 Appendix A: Technical Appendix 76 Appendix B: Interview Guides and Protocols 82 Appendix C: Additional Estimates of Potential Demand 92 Appendix D: List of Nontraditional-Hour Child Development Facilities 99 Notes 115 References 116 About the Authors 117 Statement of Independence 118 A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S V Acknowledgments This report was funded by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) through the grant provided to DC Child Care Connections, the District’s child care resource and referral agency managed by Kids Comprehensive Services, LLC. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission. The views expressed are those of the authors in consultation with OSSE. Views should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute’s funding principles is available at urban.org/fundingprinciples. We thank the staff at Kids Comprehensive Services, LLC for their contribution to the study design and ongoing project support. We thank the staff at the child development facilities that participated in our data collection. We also thank the key stakeholders who contributed to this research. We list their names and affiliations below. We thank Gina Adams from the Urban Inst