Usage and Quality of Formal Child Care Services Experienced by Infants and Toddlers in Foster and Kinship Care: An Australian Study

Abstract

This research uses data from the Early Childhood in Foster and Kinship Care (ECIFKC) study to identify the proportion of young children, under 2 years of age, in foster and kinship care who use formal child care; weekly hours of child care; predictors of weekly hours of child care; and quality of care experienced. The sample for these analyses involved 39 foster and kinship care children. A higher proportion of ECIFKC children used child care compared to same-aged Australian peers and experienced more weekly hours of child care than other Australian children. Quality of child care was broadly the same as for other young Australian children. Factors associated with more weekly hours of child care included living in a placement with a single caregiver and being in a placement with a sibling. This finding suggested that child care participation may be provided with the goal of respite for caregivers. While the child care experienced met Australian national quality standards, the long hours that some children spent in child care is concerning. It is also unclear whether extra supports and quality features may be important to meet the special needs of foster and kinship care children in child care settings.