Child care subsidies and child care choice in Hawaiʻi: Decisions and concerns of low-income parents with children ages birth to five

Abstract

Because of the welfare reform of 1996, many welfare families must now meet work requirements and enter the workforce. To do this, many need to find child care for their children. Although these families are provided with subsidies to assist in paying for child care, questions concerning availability, access, and quality remain. This study explores the concerns and choices made by parents who are applying for child care subsidies. Content analysis was used to summarize and interpret parents' responses to open-ended questions about their concerns in finding preferred care arrangements and (for those already using child care) satisfaction with different forms of child care. Specific investigations about child care in Hawai'i are very limited. This study will add to existing knowledge and inform local policies to better meet the needs of those families these policies affect. If we are able to predict the type of care arrangements sought by families with specific characteristics and attempt to understand the reasons for their preferences, we can better focus the time, energy, and funds to improve the quality of the types of care settings they are most likely to use.