Maternal intention to use child care and actual enrollment: a longitudinal study from pregnancy to 12 months in a medium-sized Brazilian municipality

Abstract

Objectives:  to analyze maternal choices regarding child care from pregnancy to the child’s first year of life.

Methods:  prospective and quantitative longitudinal study developed in three stages (pregnancy, first and twelfth months of the child’s life), with 140 women interviewed during home visits, in a medium-sized Brazilian municipality. Logistic regression was used to estimate the variable of interest: type of child care actually chosen at 12 months, categorized as “child care center” or “no child care”. Explanatory variables were: the mother’s intention to child care, mother’s age, mother’s education, parity, having worked during pregnancy and home ownership.

Results:  during pregnancy, most participants expressed the desire to use child care centers; however, only a minority actually enrolled their children by 12 months. Even so, the estimates show that mothers who consistently intended to enroll their children in daycare were more likely to do so than those who consistently said they would not [OR=3.699; 95%CI= 1.18-11.6; p=0.019]. The main result is that higher maternal education was strongly associated with actual enrollment in all models estimated [OR=19.16; 95%CI=1.43-256.88; p=0.026]. No significant effects were found for maternal age, employment, or home ownership.

Conclusion:  Even controlling for maternal preferences regarding child care enrollment, a positive association was found between higher education and the choice to enroll children in daycare. If daycare centers positively impact child development, this is a question to be considered in terms of public policy.

key words
Child; Child development; Child care; Child rearing