ACF Banner
[NCCIC header image][NCCIC Header Image]

Child Care During Nontraditional Hours

The following contains a variety of resources about child care during nontraditional hours. Included are descriptions of national organizations involved in projects to address the need for this type of child care, and summaries of research about both the need for and use of care during nontraditional hours at the national, State, and local levels. Also included is a summary of State child care licensing regulations that address child care offered during evening and overnight hours.

State Regulations

  • The National Child Care Information Center (NCCIC) conducted a review of child care center licensing regulations in February, 2005 which revealed that 41 States have requirements that specifically address child care offered during evening and overnight hours. These requirements cover program and activities for children, materials and equipment, and specific facility requirements.

    • The following States have requirements:

circle Alabama
circle Alaska
circle Arizona
circle Arkansas
circle Colorado
circle Connecticut
circle Delaware
circle Florida
circle Georgia
circle Hawaii

circle Illinois
circle Indiana
circle Iowa
circle Kansas
circle Kentucky
circle Louisiana
circle Maryland
circle Michigan
circle Minnesota
circle Mississippi

circle Missouri
circle Montana
circle Nebraska
circle New Hampshire
circle New Jersey
circle New Mexico
circle New York
circle North Carolina
circle North Dakota
circle Ohio

circle Oklahoma
circle Oregon
circle Pennsylvania
circle South Carolina
circle Tennessee
circle Texas
circle Virginia
circle Washington
circle West Virginia
circle Wisconsin
circle Wyoming

National Organizations

  • Child Care Aware
    800-424-2246
    World Wide Web: http://www.childcareaware.org

    Child Care Aware is a national initiative designed to improve the quality of care and increase the availability of quality child care in local communities. Child Care Aware can connect parents with the child care resource and referral agency in their locality. These agencies are important community resources that can provide information and guidelines for parents on choosing child care which reflect local regulations and requirements. They can also help find child care to meet parents' particular needs regarding type and location of care.

  • Child Care Partnership Project
    World Wide Web: http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/ccpartnerships/

    The Child Care Partnership Project, a collaboration of The Finance Project, Families and Work Institute, and the National Governors Association, was a three-year project supported by a contract from the Child Care Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its Web site continues to provide practical information on creating and maintaining public-private partnerships to increase and improve child care in States and communities throughout the country. Its publications drew from the experiences of successful partnerships at the national, State, and local levels to provide tools and materials for existing and future initiatives. The following resource addresses care during nontraditional hours:
    • Fact Sheets on Innovative Approaches: Partnerships for Child Care at Nontraditional Hours includes information on initiatives that represent a sampling of public-private partnerships that address child care during nontraditional hours. This resource is available on the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/ccpartnerships/facts/fs4.htm.

    For additional information about The Child Care Partnership Project, call The Finance Project at 202-628-4200.

  • Families and Work Institute (FWI)
    212-465-2044
    World Wide Web: http://familiesandwork.org

    FWI is a nonprofit research and planning organization committed to developing new approaches for balancing the changing needs of America's families with the continuing need for workplace productivity. The Institute conducts policy research on a broad range of issues related to the changing demographics of the workforce, and operates a national clearinghouse on work and family life. It serves decision-makers from all sectors of society-business, education, community, and government.
  • Labor Project for Working Families
    510-643-7088
    World Wide Web: http://www.laborproject.org/

    The Labor Project for Working Families is a collaborative effort of a number of labor councils and labor unions to provide resources to unions to develop workplace policies for families, including child care, elder care, domestic partner benefits, family leave, flexible work schedules, and labor/management committees. The Project's resources include a Labor/Work and Family Database with sample contract language, legislation, research, and model programs; technical assistance; workshops and training; and a newsletter. The following information is available from the Labor Project for Working Families:
    • "Child Care Subsidy for Overtime" (Winter 2002) in Labor News for Working Families has the following information about negotiated benefits for nontraditional hours care:

      Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 378 negotiated for a subsidy to reimburse employees for child care expenses incurred when employees are required to work overtime or be away overnight. When employees have to pay additional child care expenses, they are entitled to reimbursement up to $25 per day with a receipt for a maximum of 15 days a year. (OPEIU Local 378 and British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority). (page 1)

      This resource is available on the Web at http://www.laborproject.org/newsletter/winter02.html#subsidies.
    • Bargaining Fact Sheet: Child Care and Early Childhood Education (Spring 2001), by the AFL-CIO Working Women's Department, cites examples of recently won child care provisions in union contracts including nontraditional hours care. It states:

      Holiday Child Care
      Communications Workers of American (CWA)/International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and Verizon Inc.: CWA and IBEW negotiated with Verizon to increase the Dependent Care Fund to $1.65 million a year for three years.  One of the most successful and unique programs funded has been “Kids in the Workplace.”  This program is targeted to parents of school-age children ages 5-12 who need care for their children on school holidays when schools are closed but parents need to be at work.  The program runs approximately 15 days per year at 30 sites. (p. 2)

      Extended-hour Child Care
      UAW [United Auto Workers] and the Tonawanda Business Community Child Care Consortium:  The UAW worked with businesses in Tonawanda, NY, to create a child care consortium.  The consortium developed day care programs that are available in the daytime, before and after school and during holidays and vacations.  The consortium also has an emergency backup telephone network to provide care for families whose regular provider becomes unavailable. (pp. 2–3)

    This resource is available on the Web at http://www.laborproject.org/bargaining/factsheet/childcare.pdf.

Additional Publications

The following publications, listed in chronological order, contain information and research on child care during nontraditional hours.

  • Using CCDF to Finance Improved Access to Child Care During Nontraditional Hours (2004), by Amanda Elk Szekely, The Finance Project, outlines strategies for using Federal child care funds to expand the supply of high-quality care during nontraditional hours. Both Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) subsidy dollars and quality set-aside funds may be used to support nontraditional-hour care. States can use an unlimited amount of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds to support directly child care assistance for low-income families, including the provision of financial incentives to recruit nontraditional-hour providers. States and localities can use Federal child care funds in the following ways: (1) Use CCDF subsidy dollars to create financial incentives for providers to serve families during nontraditional hours; (2) Use CCDF quality funds to facilitate the recruitment of additional off-hour providers or to provide technical assistance and training to existing providers of nontraditional-hour care; and (3) Leverage additional support for nontraditional-hour care programs by forming strategic partnerships with local employers or other private entities. This resource is available on the Web at www.financeprojectinfo.org/publications/usingccdftofinanceSB.pdf.
  • Toward Understanding the Feasibility, Desirability, and Cost of Providing Nontraditional Hours Child Care (July 2002), by Thomas T. Kochanek, prepared for the Massachusetts Office of Child Care Services [now the Massachusetts Department of Early Learning and Care], presents preliminary findings from eight sites selected to field-test alternative nontraditional-hour child care models. Recommendations include the following: (1) more comprehensive and sustained investment should be developed and implemented; (2) an enhanced array of services should be developed to support dual language learners within the child care system; (3) the relationship between the TANF program and nontraditional-hour care should be clarified; (4) data must be gathered that provide guidance on the maximum number of hours that children can be in care weekly, and the maximum number of hours providers can work weekly; (5) fiscal data must be gathered to provide guidance on the financial incentives necessary to support high-quality, nontraditional care; (6) support services that facilitate family independence and well-being must be identified; and (7) the effects of nontraditional care on a child’s development must be more clearly understood. Additional information is available from the Massachusetts Department of Early Learning and Care by calling 617-988-6600 or visiting the Web at www.eec.state.ma.us/.
  • Ancillary Services to Support Welfare to Work: Specialized Child Care (January 2001), by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., for the U.S. Department of Human Services, is a compilation of information about ancillary services needed to support welfare to work efforts.  It provides the following estimates of need for child care during nonstandard hours:
Table 1: National and State Estimates: Need for Child Care
(page 1)
Approximate percentage of those who work Percentage

        Evenings

 10

        Weekends

 33

        Rotating of changing schedule

 50
Requests to referral agencies for evening or weekend care 30
Welfare clients who worked non-standard hours 44

Table 2: National and State Estimates: Supply of Child Care
(page 2)
Known child care providers that offer care during Nontraditional hours in poor areas: Percentage
        Baltimore, Maryland 12
        Benton County, Oregon 19
        Chicago, Illinois 20
        Linn County, Oregon 41

This resource is available on the Web at http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/isp/ancillary/CHCARE.htm.

  • Non-Standard Work Hour Child Care Project (February 2000), was developed by the Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network, for Administration for Children and Families Region X, Women’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Governor’s Head Start State Collaboration Project of Washington State. It  states the following:

    Americans are working more and more non-standard hours.  Reasons include growth in the service economy, increasing employment of women which leads to increased demand for off-hour services, and an aging population that needs round-the-clock medical services.  One in five full-time workers was working non-standard hours in 1991.  As a result of these trends, as well as welfare to work programs, there is a heightened interest in child care during nontraditional hours. (p. 4)

    The picture of supply of child care during non-standard work hours is clouded for many reasons.  There is a lack of information about the supply of care by family members, friends, and neighbors.  In addition, we know very little about why and when families choose this type of kith and kin care rather than licensed care programs.  Data on the number of child care slots available to serve different non-standard hours needs is misleading; it fails to take into consideration the vacancy rate at any point in time. (p. 4)

    Attempts to measure demand against supply also fall short.  Although the number of calls to child care resource and referral agencies seeking care during non-standard hours can show a portion of demand and trends, this information does not capture the needs of those not calling these agencies.  Surveys have proven inadequate, as they fail to capture the complexity of factors families must consider when choosing care. (p. 4)

    The biggest challenge[s] for families seeking licensed child care programs during nonstandard hours care are lack of supply, transportation, and quality of care. (pp. 4–5)

    Employers who need workers during non-standard hours often realize that child care is a significant factor in their ability to hire and retain employees.  They are responding in a number of ways, from developing on-site child care centers to working with existing centers and family homes to meet their needs and those of workers they employ. (p. 5)

    For additional information, call the Washington State Child Care Resource and Referral Network at 253-383-1735 or visit the Web at www.childcarenet.org/partners/policy-resources/studies/non_standard.pdf/view.
  • The Virginia Fairfax County Employer Child Care Council’s Report Presented to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors: February 7, 2000 states the following:

    As the overall demand for child care has grown, it has become especially difficult for our employees who need specialized types of child care services to find care that meets their specific needs.  Some of the types of care that are especially difficult to find include child care for ... employees working non-standard hours and schedules. (p. 10)

    The Employer Child Care Council is concerned about these trends, particularly since the general supply of child care services is diminishing. When this happens, parents who need these specialized types of services have even more limited choices.  Such situations have a strong impact on the business community: absenteeism and turnover increase while productivity and morale decrease.  As our companies continue to grow, we need to be assured that the demands of our employees for all forms of child care can be met. (p. 10)

    Directors of child care centers report significant reductions in the numbers of qualified applicants for vacant staff positions they advertise.  Since their staff vacancies are increasing, they are reluctant to expand their child care programs, and, at times, are concerned about their ability to operate the current programs within their ratio requirements.  This makes it difficult for centers to consider offering expanded hours that respond to the flexible work schedules our companies are implementing for employees. (p. 12)

This resource is available on the Web at www.co.fairfax.va.us/service/pdf/ECCCReport.pdf. For additional information, call the Fairfax County Employer Child Care Council at
703-324-8075 or visit the Web at www.co.fairfax.va.us/service/ofc/eccc.htm.

  • Meeting the Needs of Working Parents: A Guide for Family Child Care Providers Offering Early Morning, Evening, Overnight and Weekend Child Care (2000), a publication of the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, Child Care Initiative Project, addresses some of the challenges and issues unique to the provision of nontraditional care, and provides some constructive solutions to those challenges. For more information, call the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network at 415-882-0234 or visit the Web at www.rrnetwork.org/.
  • Education and Care: Early Childhood Programs and Services for Low-Income Families, (November 1999), by the U.S. General Accounting Office [now the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO)], describes State and local assessments of the challenges low-income parents face when obtaining care for their children. The report states the following:

    The need for infant care and care during nonstandard hours may be particularly important for TANF recipients.  According to a recent study, more than a quarter of former welfare recipients and a similar proportion of low-income mothers work night hours. (p. 11)

The GAO report HEHS-00-11 is available on the Web at www.gao.gov.

  • Families Who Left Welfare: Who Are They and How Are They Doing? (1999), by The Urban Institute, states the following:

    A potential concern for former recipients and all working mothers is how the work schedule interacts with child care.  For those who work night hours (measured here by usually working outside of the hours 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.), finding child care can be difficult and, if nonrelative care is needed, expensive.  More than a quarter of working former recipients are working mostly night hours.  A similar percentage of low-income mothers work night hours.  In two-parent families, some mothers may work night hours while a spouse or partner works day hours as a way of coordinating work and child care needs.  When asked whether spouses or partners worked different hours so they could take turns caring for their children, 62 percent of former recipients and 52 percent of low-income mothers answered affirmatively. (p. 11)

This resource is available on the Web at www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/discussion99-02.pdf. For additional information, call The Urban Institute at 202-833-7200 or visit the Web at www.urban.org/.

  • Child Care at Three: Survey of State Program Changes (September 1999), by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), states the following:

    Nontraditional care or off-hours care is needed to support parents who work nights, weekends, or multiple shifts.  Increasing numbers of adults who leave welfare for work may, in turn, increase the demand for nontraditional hour child care.  A recent Urban Institute study found that approximately 25 percent of those adults who left AFDC [Aid to Families with Dependent Children] /TANF were working mostly night hours.  This work arrangement, however, was very similar to other low-income families that had not been on assistance.  A changing economy, along with welfare-to-work efforts underway in the States, may increase the future demand for this type of child care. (pp. 7–8)

For additional information, call APHSA at 202-682-0100 or visit the Web at www.aphsa.org/Publications/BooksMonographs.asp.

  • Sustaining Employment Among Low-Income Parents: The Problems of Inflexible Jobs, Child Care, and Family Support, A Research Review (December 31, 1998), by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., states the following:

    In 1997, approximately 15.2 million full-time wage and salary workers, or almost one out of five full-time workers ages 16 and older worked nonstandard hours (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1998) … The proportion of working mothers employed in jobs with nonstandard schedules is also high.  Data from the fall 1991 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) indicate that approximately 37.3 percent of working mothers with children under 15, or 7.2 million mothers, work nonstandard shifts. (p. 15)

    Some mothers prefer to work nonstandard schedules.  About one-quarter of mothers with high school education or less say they prefer to work nonstandard hours because they can obtain better child care arrangements that way, presumably because a spouse, grandmother, or other family member is available to care for the children during nonstandard hours … A preference of nonstandard hours because better child care is available is somewhat more common for married women and mothers of children younger than 5 with a high school education or less (Presses and Cox, 1997). (p. 17)

The report cites three studies that examined the supply of child care during nontraditional hours.  It states the following:

These studies indicate a severely limited supply of regulated child care arrangements during nonstandard hours and days, especially compared to the expected proportion of low-income parents who will need to work during these hours.  However, the lack of information about parents’ preferences for child care arrangements during nonstandard work schedules makes it difficult to determine whether this supply of regulated child care arrangements is sufficient to meet the demand among low-income parents. (p. 25)

In addition, it also states the following:

The child care arrangements available to parents who worked nonstandard schedules were so unreliable that sustaining full-time employment was almost impossible.  The study found that the type of employment parents could obtain limited their child care options, and the unreliable child care that parents found, in turn, limited their ability to find better employment.  In fact, 20 percent of parents in the study population had returned to welfare in the past year because of child care problems. (p. 37)

The report cited several ways to address the problem of finding acceptable child care during nonstandard hours:

To encourage parents to choose this care, it may be necessary to ensure that care is less expensive to parents than other options, that the quality is high, and that the site is near the workplace or homes of families, thus reducing commuting costs relative to other options.  Employers and community based-organizations have used several strategies to provide child care with these characteristics. (p. 48)

Large firms that employ shift workers 24 hours per day may decide that on-site child care is a worthwhile investment. (p. 48)

Community-based organizations can encourage and help employers with on-site care. (p.49)

Employers can also form partnerships with community child care providers to extend their hours to cover the work schedules of their employees. (p. 50)

A strategy that could require less initial investment and less control by employers, but that may yet help employees find acceptable child care during nonstandard hours is to reserve slots in existing child care centers and family child care homes for children of employees. (p. 50)

Recruiting and training family child care providers can target resources towards gaps in the supply of child care during nonstandard schedules for parents who work for large and small businesses. (p. 52)

For additional information, call Mathematica at 609-799-3535 or visit the Web at www.mathematica-mpr.com/.

  • Who’s Minding the Kids? The Need for Around-the-Clock Child Care in New York’s 24-Hour Economy (December 1998), a policy brief from United Neighborhood Houses, presents the fact that there is a shortage in New York City of licensed, quality child care for parents who work nontraditional hours. For additional information, call the United Neighborhood Houses of New York, Inc., Neighborhood Networks for Family Child Care at 212-967-0322 or visit the Web at www.unhny.org.
  • The Study of Non-Traditional Hour Child Care (July 1998), by Parents United for Child Care, states the following:

    The need for child care during the evening, night, or early morning is not a new one.  Five million women worked full time, non-standard hour schedules in 1991. Those numbers are expected to grow as more adults enter the workforce.  Between 1985 and 1997, the number of full-time wage and salary employees working non-standard shifts increased from 11.6 million to 15.2 million, by 30 percent, to about 17 percent of the total workforce.  The top ten occupations projected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to experience the most growth from 1995 - 2005 employ a large percentage of their workers during non-standard hours.  Excluding only system analysts from the list of top ten growth occupations, the percentage of employees working non-standard hours in the occupations projected to comprise 26.8% of all job growth by the year 2005 range from 14.4% to 91.0%.  Eight of the top ten occupations employ between 58.5% and 91.0% non-traditional hour workers. (p. 3)

    While the greatest amount of job growth is projected to occur in service occupations with a large amount of shift work, women moving off of welfare into the labor market are more likely than others to fill these service sector jobs.  One quarter of employed, low-educated women with children currently work in one of the top ten growth occupations.  One tenth of employed low-educated women with children work as cashiers or cleaners, two of the top ten projected growth occupations.  81.7% of cashiers work non-standard schedules and 58.5% of cleaners work non-traditional schedules.  The projections for labor market growth suggest that the proportion of low-educated women with children in these service occupations which require work during non-traditional hours will only grow as more low-educated women with children move from welfare into employment. (p. 3)

For additional information, call Parents United for Child Care at 617-426-8288 or visit the Web at http://nccic.acf.hhs.gov/ccpartnerships/profiles/united.htm.

  • Removing Barriers to Employment: The Child Care-Jobs Equation (May 1998), by the Employment and Training Institute, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, examined the utilization of child care subsidies by low-income parents in Milwaukee County during a 21-month period from January 1996 through September 1997. The study examined factors such as the use of child care subsidies and barriers to utilization.  The report states the following:

    Previous analysis of families leaving AFDC [Aid to Families with Dependent Children] has shown that one-third are employed in part-time or temporary jobs.  Single parents with part-time, evening and variable work hours may have difficulty arranging consistent child care, particularly care that meets present regulatory requirements and registration procedures.

  • Ahead of the Curve (1998), by the Families and Work Institute, draws on a wide range of research and incorporates case studies of businesses in the area of family and work. 
    The report states the following:

    Finding child care is especially difficult for employees who work evening or weekend hours or for those who have rotating shifts.  More and more U.S. workers find themselves working nonstandard hours as the trend toward a global, service-based economy intensifies.  More and more businesses need to keep their doors and their phone lines open during early mornings, evenings, nights and weekends. (pp. 62–63)

    More than 14 million employees - nearly 20 percent of the full-time workforce - worked nonstandard hours in 1991.  A significant percentage of them are women and mothers. (p. 63)

    Thirty-two percent of employed parents with children under the age of six work non- daytime shifts, according to the 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce (NSCW).  In 1991, five million of the full-time workers with nonstandard hours (more than a third) were women.  The prevalence of shift work is increasing most rapidly in the service sector, which encompasses many jobs traditionally held by women.  The number of jobs that demand shift work is expected to rise in coming years. (p. 63)

    Most child care providers offer day care during the traditional working hours of nine to five.  A recent General Accounting Office (GAO) survey of child care providers found that only a minority (from 12 to 35 percent) offer care during nontraditional hours; most of these providers work out of their homes and have room for relatively few children.  Weekend work is also problematic.  Data from the 1989 National Child Care Survey show that one-third of working poor mothers (incomes below poverty) and more than one-fourth of working-class mothers (annual incomes above poverty but below $25,000) work weekends.  Yet only 10 percent of centers and 6 percent of family day care homes report providing care on weekends. (Executive Summary, p. xix)

For additional information, call the Families and Work Institute at 212-465-2044 or visit the Web at www.familiesandwork.org.

Updated July 2007

 
PDF Icon Need Adobe Reader?