Child Care and Parental Employment in Fragile Families

描述(由申请人提供)：本项目的总体目标是 考察产妇就业、育儿、育儿的交集 有孩子出生的家庭的做法/行为和经济因素 1999-2000年，福利改革和国家对低收入者的要求 年幼子女的母亲进入劳动力大军。我们感兴趣的是 产妇就业的开始、强度和稳定性之间的联系； 儿童保育安排的类型、强度、质量和稳定性 家庭；家庭的心理氛围(包括家庭的心理健康 父母，父母关系，家庭冲突， 和家庭成员的稳定性)；母亲的育儿行为 (纪律做法和温暖)和儿童保育提供者的行为。 我们还将研究低收入人群中的产妇就业和育儿 家庭与儿童在2岁时的认知和情感健康有关 1/2岁和4岁(如儿童评估、父母报告和 托儿服务提供者报告)。 该项目将在正在进行的小组研究中增加一个儿童保育模块， 脆弱家庭与儿童福祉研究。样本来自3,400名儿童 全国16个城市(选出具有全国代表性的城市 人口超过200,000的城市未婚生育样本)。儿童保育 观察和与提供者和家长的访谈将在2 1/2进行 和4年的随访，以及对儿童认知和情感的评估 2岁时家访期间的发展、父母做法和家庭环境 一年半和四年。我们的具体目标是：(1)收集父母的数据 通过访谈和观察获得就业、儿童保育和儿童福利； (2)描述全国范围内的父母就业和育儿模式 居住在多元化城市的低收入家庭的代表性样本 政策背景；(3)评估就业、儿童 照料和家庭环境对儿童福祉的影响，以及这些领域的变化 预测儿童认知和情绪幸福感的变化；以及 通过检查可能的调节儿童(气质， 健康状况、性别)和家庭因素(父母关系、父母 心理健康、育儿实践)。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goal of this project is to examine the intersection of maternal employment, child care, parenting practices/behavior, and economic factors in families with children born in 1999-2000, in the wake of welfare reform and state requirements for low-income mothers of young children to enter the work force. We are interested in the linkages among onset, intensity, and stability of maternal employment; the type, intensity, quality, and stability of child care arrangements used by the family; the psychological climate of the family (including mental health of parents, relationship between the mother and father, conflict in the household, and stability of household members); and the parenting behavior of the mothers (discipline practices and warmth) and the behavior of the child care providers. We also will examine how maternal employment and childcare in low-income households are associated with child cognitive and emotional well-being at 2 1/2 and 4 years of age (as indicated by child assessments, parental report, and child care provider report). This project would add a childcare module to an ongoing panel study, the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study. The sample is 3,400 children from 16 cities across the country (selected to yield a nationally representative sample of unwed births in cities with populations over 200,000). Child care observations and interviews with providers and parents will occur at the 2 1/2 and 4 year follow-up, as well as assessments of child cognitive and emotional development, parental practices, and home environment during home visits at 2 1/2 and 4 years. Our specific aims are: (1) to collect data on parental employment, child care and child well-being via interviews and observations; (2) to describe parental employment and child care patterns in a nationally representative sample of low-income families living in cities with diverse policy contexts; (3) to assess the relative influences of employment, child care, and family context on child well-being and whether changes in these areas predict changes in children's cognitive and emotional well-being; and (4) to augment these models by examining possible moderating child (temperament, health status, gender) and family factors (parental relationships, parental mental health, parenting practices).