Latino Study Lists Barriers to Child Care

Many Latina mothers would use licensed child-care centers if they were available. But cost, language and cultural barriers pose formidable obstacles for most of them, according to a new study to be released today by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute.

The study is one of the first to examine the child-care practices of Southern California’s Latino community, where economic forces, welfare reform and evolving family structures have thrust increasing numbers of mothers into the work force.

The findings counter the stereotype that the Latino community’s traditionally large, extended families don’t need licensed child care.

Indeed, more than 60% of the Latina mothers surveyed said they had either lost a job or were unable to work because they could not find suitable child-care arrangements.

The study is based on interviews with 303 Latina and 93 non-Hispanic white mothers living in Huntington Park and San Bernardino. It was funded by the California Wellness Foundation.

“Child care is an area that has been neglected in general in our society and especially in minority communities. There is a real need to lay bare some of the assumptions,” said study coauthor Raymond Buriel, a professor of psychology at Pomona College.

Although it has received little study, the child-care needs of Latinos loom as a major issue for Southern California. The community is generally younger and has a larger percentage of its members needing child care than the U.S. population at large.

With births and the continuing migration from Mexico and Central America fueling the trend, Latino children accounted for 35% of the population growth of preschool age children in California over the last decade, according to the study.

Among the Latinas surveyed, nearly 30% were employed, but the average yearly income hovered around $13,000. About 21% of the respondents said they received welfare checks.

Their relative poverty is reflective of Los Angeles County as a whole, where Latinos represent 37% of the total population but constitute 57% of those living below the poverty line.

That so many Latino women surveyed say they have been prevented from entering the work force because they lack child care is especially distressing and could hamper welfare-to-work efforts, scholars said.

“It’s a real topical finding because in the next year there will be a transition of women in job training programs trying to move into the labor force,” said Tomas Rivera Policy Institute President Harry Pachon. “If they don’t have the support structure, it’s not only the mother that suffers but also the child. You’re impacting a whole generation of children.”

The study points up the difficult choices mothers must make when they are faced with limited child-care options, the authors said. Most Latina mothers surveyed--53%--said they would first choose a relative to care for their child. But nearly 10% said they would prefer a licensed child-care center over their current arrangements.

“Part of the reason they prefer a relative is because they have resigned themselves that it is the most expedient and available thing for them,” he said. “Their attitude is why wish for something you can’t have.”

The biggest barriers to licensed care were cost, a lack of availability of child care near home or work and a lack of information about what is available.

Many women expressed frustration over long waiting lists.

“There are centers that put you on a waiting list for months or years. It’s very difficult to find the right child-care center near your job,” said one mother who was part of a survey focus group.

However, mothers who used licensed facilities reported a high degree of satisfaction, saying that they felt their children received better care than if they stayed with a family member.

One mother said: “Even if you have relatives, it’s very different. It’s almost like a baby-sitter. They turn on the television and sit them in front of it. It’s better [at a child-care center] because they are developing and learning.”

Many women also thought enrolling their children in a licensed child-care program was the best way to prepare them for school.

And although most Latina mothers believe that child-care providers should teach children in their own language and culture, most also wanted their children to learn English.

“When they start school everything is in English, and so that they can get ahead it’s best if they know both languages,” said a study mother. “But English is more dominant. If they learn that language from a very early age, they will learn their studies much faster.”