The Association Between after-School Childcare Arrangements and the Academic and Behavioral Outcomes of Low-Income Children: Analysis of the 2005 National Household Education Surveys Program

Background: Knowing that more than half of American school-aged children are engaged in certain types of after-school care arrangements (relative, neighborhood, or some combination of care) other than After-School Programs (ASP)s, it is important to understand how the different types of care arrangements affect children (e.g., in academic and behavioral areas). However, there are few studies of these children that include combinations of care in the big picture. In addition, in spite of studies that have investigated the outcomes of different types of care, many are outdated and they have substantially studied only ASPs.

Methods: I used the 2005 National Household Education Surveys Programs: After-School Programs and Activities developed by the U. S. Department of Education. Telephone surveys of households were used to collect information about school-aged children from kindergarten through grade eight (middle-school children up to age 15). The sample consisted of 768 low-income school-aged children attending some types of after-school childcare arrangements. Their mothers were identified as working outside home. In order to assess the relationships between the different types of after-school childcare arrangements (i.e., ASPs, relative, parental, some combination of care) and participants' academic and behavioral outcomes, I employed binary logistic and hierarchical multiple regressions.

Results: First, it was established that there was a significant association between after-school childcare types and academic outcomes (χ2 = 14.294, df=4, p < .05). While holding the covariates (demographic variables) constant, the participation in relative care was associated with a 38% decrease (β = .62, p < .05) in the odds of the variable of schoolwork problems, and the participation in parental care was associated with a 46% decrease (β = .54, p < .05) in the odds of the variable of schoolwork problem compared to the after-school program (reference). Second, while controlling for covariates, compared to children in parental care (reference), children in ASPs programs showed lower academic scores (β = .102, p < .05).

With respect to behavioral outcomes, first, compared to ASPs (reference group), parental care was 43% less likely to show behavioral problems (OR= .56, p < .05). Second, there was no association between after-school childcare types and school behavioral problems.

Implications: This study’s results imply that current ASPs do not function effectively across the state. Considering that a majority of low-income households live in poor communities which have limited resources, educators and social workers should assess whether the quality of the ASPs in these communities meet the desired criteria. They also need to assess if these programs are well implemented and whether policy makers should consider providing incentives to relatives who devote their time and efforts to taking care of children after school, and childcare subsidies to low-income households who put their children in relative care other than ASPs. In particular, in order to encourage low-income parents to work outside the home, increasing the high quality and quantity of ASPs in areas where many of these families live is highly recommended.