“This study contributes to our knowledge about child care use in immigrant families. Using nationally representative data, the study shows that patterns of child care use differ between children in immigrant and in non-immigrant families, and that the differences persist across generations for children of Mexican origin after accounting for socioeconomic and contextual factors. Because child care can influence a child’s early development and socialization and can ease his or her transition from home to formal schooling, the fact (Rumbaut, 1997; Landale, 1997) that preschool-age children in immigrant families are less likely to use centerbased child care than children in non-immigrant families is important. Particularly troubling is the finding that when children in immigrant families use non-relative or centerbased child care, that care may be of poorer quality than the care received by children in non-immigrant families. Children in immigrant families require child care that helps lower, not raise, the risks associated with adjusting to a new country. The findings draw attention to the early childhood experiences of children in immigrant families, especially their experiences or lack thereof with the now widely used out-of-home child care settings.” – Publisher’s description
