How American Children Spend Their Time

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73393/1/j.1741-3737.2001.00295.x.pd

Who enrolls in head start? A demographic analysis of head start-eligible children

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/31911/1/0000864.pd

The "Hurried" Child: Myth vs. Reality

Based on a national survey and a qualitative study, examines the view that children are overscheduled with activities to the point of stress. Looks at how busy children are, how social class affects participation, and which children show stress symptoms

Child care and employment turnover

This paper explores how the responsibilityof caring for children affects employment stability by studying the relationship betweenthe characteristics and stability of substitute caregivers and the risk of leaving of job. Thedata come from the 1990 National Child Care Survey (NCCS), a nationally representative surveyof households with children under age 13 conducted in late 1989 and early 1990, and AProfile of Child Care Settings (PCS), a nationally representative survey of center-based programsand licensed family day care homes in the U.S., conducted at the same time and in the same 144counties. The results show that the availability of care affects the job stability of all employedmothers. Other effects differ by maternal wage. The cost of care affects the employment exits ofmoderate-wage mothers (who earn $6 to$8 per hour), the stability of care affects the employmentexits of moderate- and high-wage mothers, and the flexibility of care affects the employmentexits of low-wage mothers. These results are discussed in the context of current public policies.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43521/1/11113_2004_Article_277206.pd

A Comparative Time-Diary Analysis of UK and US Children’s Screen Time and Device Use

This paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of the time school-age children 8-17 years in the UK and the US spent using devices such as smartphones and tablets, and their time in screen-based activities such as watching TV and playing videogames in 2014-15. The paper draws on innovative instruments measuring children’s time using technology and engaging with screens in these two countries. We find that in both, children’s time using devices overlaps with time in screen-based activities, non-screen leisure, and non-leisure activities. Children in the UK spend more time using devices than children in the US, but family size and the availability of an internet connection at home largely explain major cross-national differences. Children in the US spend less time using computers than children in the UK, and, on non-school days, more time watching TV and playing videogames. These differences remain significant after controlling for a range of child, parent and family-level characteristics. Divergent cross-national patterns for children’s time using relatively new devices and their time in more established screen-based activities are linked to differences in family composition and to differential access

State regulations and child care choice

While government regulations are designed to safeguard the health and well-being of children, they may also alter the cost and availability of child care, thus affecting parental use of such services. This paper investigates the total effects of regulation on parental choice of child care and the indirect effects of regulation through the price, quality, and availability of care. In our analysis of data from the National Child Care Survey 1990 we find strong evidence that state regulations requiring center-based providers to be trained are associated with a lower probability that parents choose a center, while state inspections are associated with more parental choice of center and home care. We end by discussing the policy implications of our findings.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43520/1/11113_2004_Article_150695.pd

Family Adaptations to Income and Job Loss in the U.S.

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study examines the extent to which families experience major economic setbacks and how they respond. Families that experience a substantial loss of income or work hours are more likely to cut back on expenditures, receive public assistance, experience divorce or separation, and move. No evidence that partners are able to compensate for a major income loss by increasing their work hours was found. Initial conditions, such as income and assets, the unemployment rate of the area, and race, affect how a family adapts. Families with fewer resources and those who live in areas of high unemployment are more likely to rely on public assistance, and they are less likely to move, increase the work hours of the female head of household, or cut food expenditures.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44659/1/10834_2004_Article_417491.pd

Children's Time With Fathers in Intact Families

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73550/1/j.1741-3737.2001.00136.x.pd

Mother involvement as an influence on father involvement with early adolescents

This study hypothesized that father involvement is influenced by mothers' level of involvement as well as by marital conflict, mothers' work hours, and fathers' status as biological or step father. The analysis also tested hypotheses about mother involvement as a potential mediator of the effects of marital conflict and maternal work hours on father involvement, and hypotheses about factors influencing mother involvement. Children aged 10-14 from the NLSY79 who resided with their biological or step father and with their mother reported on each parent's involvement with them. As hypothesized, father involvement was predicted by mother involvement, and the reciprocal influence was not significant. Father involvement was associated with low marital conflict and being a biological father. Mothers' involvement partially mediated the effects of marital conflict on father involvement. If the mediating role of maternal involvement is not taken into account, the effect of marital conflict on father involvement is overestimated. Keywords: father involvement, mother involvement, marital conflict, stepfamilies, maternal employment Early adolescence is a crucial period in development. It marks the decline of exclusive family influence/control and increased independence from family, greater involvement with peers, and more varied nonfamily influences. Nonetheless, a

Fatherhood in the Twenty-First Century

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65867/1/1467-8624.00126.pd