Children with long-term conditions or disabilities: Why some are not in non-parental child care

Using data from the 2023 Survey on Early Learning and Child Care Arrangements–Children with Long-Term Conditions or Disabilities, this study aimed to identify potential barriers to participating in child care among children with long-term conditions or disabilities who do not regularly attend non-parental child care. Compared with child care users, non-users were less likely to have parents with a paid job or business (38% of non-users vs. 77% of users), less likely to have parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher (32% of non-users vs. 46% of users), and less likely to live in two-parent families (78% of non-users vs. 84% of users). Parents of non-users who looked for child care were more likely than those of child care users to report difficulty finding affordable child care (54% of non-users whose parents looked for care vs. 39% of users), subsidized child care (43% vs. 32%), and care that meets their child’s needs because of disability or chronic illness (29% vs. 12%). While the most frequently reported reason for not using child care varied by whether parents were seeking child care, a shortage of places or waitlists (34%) was the most frequently reported reason for not using child care among non-users whose parents looked for child care. Overall, in 2023, availability and affordability remained as potential barriers to participating in child care among children with long-term conditions or disabilities whose parents looked for child care.