State of Care Index
attitudes towards caregiving, the unique
pressures they face and how child and
senior care responsibilities impact daily life.
In its inaugural survey, Care.com examined the state of child care—in cooperation
with the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
(NACCRRA)—as well as the state senior care. In its second survey, Care.com,
NACCRRA, and the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) continued to
monitor the state of child care and examined specifically the state of child care for
children with special needs. The State of Care Index outlines the annual cost of child
care and senior care, details families' efforts to save money on care arrangements,
and reports on the tie between employment and caregiving.
What's Covered...
The Cost of Child Care and Senior Care
The United States' economy has been in recession for nearly 2 years, and the socio-
economic concerns are a burden on those making caregiving decisions.
- $12,445
...what the average family with young children spends
annually for child care. - 14%
...of the average families' household income is devoted
to child care. - 45%
...the hourly cost of child care for a child with special
needs is 45% greater than the hourly child care cost for
a child without special needs. - $16,457
...the amount spent annually by families who carry the financial
burden of both child care and elder care.
The Impact of Child Care and Senior Care on Employment
There's a codependency for families caught in the child and elder care cycle: they
need to hire caregivers in order to work and need to work in order to pay for care.
When a last-minute "care crisis" catches families off-guard, most don't have back-up
options and resort to missing work or readjusting schedules.
- 82%
...of parents of young children and two-thirds of adults with elderly
relatives solved a care crisis by missing work. - 5
...the average number of care crises parents of young children
experience each year. Parents of special needs children experience
more than twice as many crises. - 85%
...of changes made to child care arrangements and 56% of changes
made to senior care arrangements were directly work-related. - 45%
...of parents feel child care responsibilities have negatively impacted
their work performance or career progress.
base and the member base of NACCRRA's Child Care Aware Parent Network. The
survey was conducted online and received 1,297 responses. In September 2009,
Care.com surveyed a random sample of its nationwide membership base, the
member base of NACCRRA's Child Care Aware Parent Network, and the member
base of the NFCA. The survey was conducted online and received 1,825 responses.
Cherie Gallarello
Director of Public Relations
917-239-7284
Karen Greene
Public Relations Associate
781-642-5923

