U.S. Department of Commerce

Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU

census.gov

A Child’s Day: Living Arrangements, 

Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011

(Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being)

Household Economic Studies

By Lynda Laughlin

Issued December 2014

P70-139

INTRODUCTION 

The well-being of children is a growing area of interest to 

researchers and policy makers who focus on the social, 

cognitive, and economic security of children as they transition from preadolescents to young adults. This report 

uses a variety of indicators to portray aspects of children’s 

well-being. The findings come from interviews conducted 

in the fall of 2011 for the 2008 Survey of Income and 

Program Participation (SIPP). 

Families have become increasingly diverse and complex 

in recent decades. One out of five children in the United 

States lives with at least one foreign-born parent and the 

population of children is projected to become even more 

diverse in the decades to come.1 The share of children living with two biological married parents has declined and 

the proportion of children living in stepfamilies or families 

formed outside of marriage has become more common.2

Families are also experiencing more fluidity in living 

arrangements, employment, and residential location.3

This report highlights how family structure, nativity, and 

family instability are associated with selected measures 

1 Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. America’s 

Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2013, Washington, DC: U.S. 

Government Printing Office. 2 Rose M. Kreider and Renee Ellis, “Living Arrangements of Children: 

2009,” Household Economic Studies, P70-126, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC, 2011. 3 Andrew J. Cherlin, “Demographic Trends in the United States: A Review 

of Research in the 2000s,” Journal of Marriage and Family, 72, 2010 

403–419. 

of child well-being. Measures of child well-being include 

family reading practices, shared meal times, television 

rules, children’s extracurricular activities, and school 

performance, as well as early child care experiences (see 

definition box for “SIPP Child Well-Being Data”). The report 

contains four sections: (1) household and family characteristics, (2) children’s living arrangements and selected indicators of child well-being, (3) selected indicators of child 

well-being for children living with foreign-born parents, 

and (4) household and economic transitions and selected 

indicators of child well-being. 

HOUSEHOLD AND FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS

In the fall of 2011, 46.7 million of 74.3 million (63 percent) children under 18 were living with two married 

parents (see Table 1). An additional 3.8 million (5 percent) 

children lived with two unmarried parents. Around 18 

million (24 percent) children lived with a single female 

reference parent, while 2.6 million (4 percent) were living 

with a single male reference parent (see definition box for 

“Reference Parent”). Another 3.3 million (5 percent) did not 

live with either parent and instead resided with a guardian (such as an other relative or a nonrelative acting as a 

guardian for the child in the absence of parents).4

4 Fifty-five percent (1,825,000) of children who do not live with a parent 

live with a grandparent. 
2 U.S. Census Bureau

SIPP Child Well-Being Data

The 2008 panel of the nationally representative SIPP included a child well-being 

topical module in the tenth wave of interviews conducted in September–December 

2011. The SIPP collects information on a variety of child well-being indicators to 

illustrate what children experience on a daily basis, including difference in family 

living arrangements, economic and social environments, and the types of neighborhoods where children live. Experiences with nonrelative child care arrangements, daily interactions with parents, television rules, performance in school, and 

participation in extracurricular activities are other indicators of child development 

and future well-being. While the SIPP collects data on a variety of child well-being 

indicators, the current report highlights only a selected number of measures (see 

Appendix A for survey questions and measures used in this report). Additional 

information on all the indicators of child well-being collected by the SIPP can be 

accessed at <www.census.gov/hhes/socdemo/children/data/sipp/well2011/tables

.html>.

Reference Parent

Respondents in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) child wellbeing topical module are parents living with their children under 18 years old. 

In households where both parents are present, the mother is the reference parent. Questions for each child are asked of the reference parent. If the mother is 

not available for an interview, the father of the child is asked to provide proxy 

responses for her. In single-parent families, the resident parent is the reference 

parent. If neither parent is in the household, the guardian is the reference parent. 

Reference parents include biological, step, and adoptive parents, and may also 

include other relatives or nonrelatives acting as a guardian for children who do not 

live with their parents. In these data, 96 percent of the children had a female reference parent, usually the mother. Data obtained from males who were the reference 

parent are included with the data from females. Respondents 15 to 17 years old, 

who themselves may be parents, had their childhood well-being reported by their 

parents when they live with them in the household. In this report, unless otherwise 

noted, the term parent is used to refer to the reference parent. 

In 2011, 54 percent of children 

were White, non-Hispanic; 24 

percent were Hispanic; 15 percent 

were Black; and 4 percent were 

Asian. A little over one in five 

children (17.5 million) lived with at 

least one foreign-born parent. 

Twenty-two percent (16.6 million) 

of children lived in families with 

incomes that fell below poverty.5

5 For details on poverty definitions and 

thresholds, visit U.S. Census Bureau’s Poverty 

Web site at <www.census.gov/hhes/www

/poverty/poverty.html>. 

Twenty-four percent (17.6 million) lived in families with monthly 

incomes at 100 to 199 percent of 

poverty and 16 percent (12.1 million) lived in families with monthly 

incomes at 200 to 299 percent of 

poverty. An additional 25.9 million 

(35 percent) children lived in families with monthly incomes at 300 

percent of poverty or higher. 

Figure 1 illustrates how child poverty varied by family structure. A 

lower percentage of children living 

in a married-couple family lived 

below poverty (14 percent) compared to children living with two 

unmarried parents (37 percent) or 

with a single mother or father (41 

percent). The economic status of 

children living with cohabiting parents more closely resembled singleparent families. Children living with 

single parents were more likely to 

be in poverty compared to children 

living with two unmarried parents 

(41 percent and 37 percent, respectively). Almost half of children living with two married parents lived 

in a family with monthly incomes at 

or above 300 percent of poverty. 

Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of 

children lived in households that 

participated in at least one or more 

of the following government aid 

programs: Temporary Assistance 

for Needy Families (TANF); the 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP);6 the Special 

Supplemental Nutrition Program for 

Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); 

Medicaid; and the National School 

Lunch Program. The largest number 

of children who lived in households that received government aid 

participated in the National School 

Lunch Program (35.0 million), followed by Medicaid (26.4 million), 

SNAP (17.3 million), WIC (6.4 million), and TANF (2.3 million). 

6 The Food Stamp Program was renamed 

the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP) in 2008. 
U.S. Census Bureau 3

Table 1. 

Children Under 18 Years Old by Selected Characteristics: 2011

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

All children Under 6 years 6 to 11 years 12 to 17 years 

Number

Margin 

of error1 Number

Margin 

of error1 Number

Margin 

of error1 Number

Margin 

of error1

 Total children, 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74,294 234 25,556 497 24,922 494 23,816 487

CHILD

Sex

Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,351 528 12,489 388 12,212 384 11,650 377

Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,942 529 13,067 395 12,710 390 12,165 384

Race and Hispanic Origin 

White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,840 479 18,895 453 18,880 453 18,065 446

Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,060 529 13,577 401 13,267 401 13,216 397

Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,153 370 3,877 230 3,668 224 3,608 222

Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,831 198 1,054 122 875 111 902 113

Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,650 442 6,200 286 6,178 285 5,272 265

Presence of Parents2

Married—two parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,682 520 15,586 423 16,022 427 15,074 418

Unmarried—two parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,760 226 2,159 173 1,066 123 535 87

Mother only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,897 445 6,032 282 5,849 278 6,016 282

Father only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,607 190 650 96 966 117 991 118

Guardian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,347 214 1,129 126 1,019 120 1,199 130

Nativity3

Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,835 473 19,541 282 18,975 454 18,319 448

At least one foreign born parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,459 441 6,015 458 5,947 281 5,497 271

FAMILY AND REFERENCE PARENT CHARACTERISTICS

Educational Attainment

Less than high school . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,464 345 3,358 215 3,200 210 2,906 200

High school graduate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,148 438 6,170 285 5,419 269 5,559 272

Some college . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,318 372 4,003 233 3,868 229 3,447 217

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,470 472 7,978 320 7,047 303 6,445 291

Monthly Family Income

Under $1,500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,678 363 4,004 233 3,680 224 2,994 203

$1,500 to $2,999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,079 407 4,954 258 4,898 256 4,227 239

$3,000 to $4,499 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,672 377 3,884 230 3,944 232 3,844 229

$4,500 and over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,724 527 11,793 379 11,711 378 12,220 384

Income not reported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,140 173 920 114 690 99 530 87

Poverty Status4

Below poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,612 433 6,513 292 5,712 275 4,387 244

At or above poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55,540 481 18,123 447 18,520 450 18,897 453

100 to 199 percent of poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,580 442 5,941 280 5,984 281 5,655 274

200 to 299 percent of poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,106 383 3,694 225 4,216 239 4,196 529

300 percent of poverty or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,854 498 8,488 329 8,320 326 9,046 338

Program Participation5

Received aid from at least one of the following: . . . . . . . . . . . 47,939 516 13,185 396 18,094 446 16,660 153

TANF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,279 178 915 114 693 99 671 98

Food stamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,321 440 6,990 302 5,882 279 4,449 80

WIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,350 289 6,297 287 X X 53 28

Medicaid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,350 500 10,276 358 8,734 333 7,340 309

National School Lunch Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,959 526 2,541 188 17,052 437 15,366 421

Did not receive aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26,356 500 12,371 386 6,829 299 7,156 305

X Not applicable. 1

 This figure added to or subtracted from the estimate provides the 90 percent confidence interval. 2

 Living with two parents (married or unmarried) or one parent refers to children who point to biological, step, or adoptive parents. Children who do not point to a 

biological, step, or adoptive parent point to a guardian in absence of a parent. Fifty-five percent of children who do not live with a parent live with a grandparent. 3

 Parental nativity status is based on the place of birth of one or more of the child’s parents. A parent born in the United States is considered native born. A parent born outside of the United States is considered foreign born. 4

 Includes only children in households for which poverty status was determined. 5

 For families with income reported, programs include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); food stamps; Special Supplemental Nutrition Program 

for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Medicaid; and the National School Lunch Program.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Wave 10.
4 U.S. Census Bureau

CHILDREN’S LIVING 

ARRANGEMENTS AND 

SELECTED INDICATORS OF 

CHILD WELL-BEING

This section addresses the relationship between children’s living arrangements and selected 

measures of well-being. Children’s 

living arrangements play an important role in shaping child development and future well-being. The 

household is the site of daily activities and provides children with 

social and economic resources. 

For the purposes of this report, 

children’s living arrangements are 

defined by the relationship status 

of the reference parent. Four types 

of living arrangements are identified for children: living with two

married parents (the reference 

parent is married to the child’s 

other biological, step, or adoptive 

parent); living with two unmarried 

parents (the reference parent is 

unmarried but lives with the child’s 

other biological, step, or adoptive 

parent); living with one parent (the 

reference parent is the only biological, step, or adoptive parent in the 

household); and no parent (child 

lives with a guardian in the absence 

of a biological, step, or adoptive 

reference parent). 

One aspect of child well-being 

is the type of daily interaction 

that occurs between children and 

parents. The SIPP child-well being 

module included questions about 

the number of stories read to 

children, how often the parents eat 

meals with their children, and the 

existence of family TV rules.

Children living in single parent 

households are read to by a 

family member less often than 

children living with two married or 

unmarried parents. 

Overall, around 1.5 million (7 percent) children 1 to 5 years old were 

not read to by a family member 

in the week preceding the survey 

(see Table 2). Among children living 

with two married parents, children 

1 to 2 years old were more likely to 

never be read to by a family member in the past week compared with 

children 3 to 5 years old (8 percent and 5 percent, respectively). 

Figure 1.

Percent of Children in Poverty by Presence of Parent(s): 20111

1 Living with two parents (married or unmarried) or one parent refers to children who point to biological, step, or adoptive parents.

Children who do not point to a biological, step, or adoptive parent point to a guardian in absence of a parent.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 Panel, Wave 10.

300 percent of 

poverty or higher

200 to 299

percent of poverty

100 to 199

percent of poverty Below poverty 

 Two married parents Two unmarried parents One parent Guardian

21.2

16.5

13.3

29.3

40.9

14.4

32.4

37.3

14.0

46.4

18.4

15.9

20.4

17.0

32.8

29.8
U.S. Census Bureau 5

Table 2. 

Children Under 18 by Presence of Parent(s) by Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being: 

2011—Con.

Selected indicators of child well-being 

 Numbers (in thousands) Percent 

Two 

parents1 Other families Two 

parents1 Other families

 Married 

 Unmarried One 

parent1 Guardian2 Married 

 Unmarried One 

parent1 Guardian2

 Total children, 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46,682 3,760 20,504 3,347 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 

Child Age

Less than one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,314 432 878 151 5.0 11.5 4.3 4.5

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,982 753 2,114 405 10.7 20.0 10.3 12.1

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,290 974 3,690 573 17.8 25.9 18.0 17.1

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,022 1,066 6,815 1,019 34.3 28.4 33.2 30.4

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,074 535 7,007 1,199 32.3 14.2 34.2 35.8

Family Reading Practices 

Never read to last week

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388 40 195 20 7.8 5.3 9.2 4.9

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 72 279 51 4.9 7.4 7.6 8.9

Read to 7 or more times per week

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,797 390 805 180 56.1 51.8 38.1 44.4

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,471 488 1,512 263 53.9 50.1 41.0 45.9

Average times read to child per week

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.5 7.4 5.7 7.7 X X X X

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.8 6.2 6.0 6.3 X X X X

Meals

Breakfast together at least 5 days per week 

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,653 669 2,334 424 35.1 38.7 40.2 43.4

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,903 514 3,644 520 43.1 48.2 53.5 51.0

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,559 257 3,679 684 50.1 48.0 52.5 57.0

Dinner together at least 5 days per week 

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,025 281 1,169 221 15.3 16.3 20.1 22.6

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,879 184 1,709 183 18.0 17.3 25.1 18.0

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,790 137 2,460 388 31.8 25.6 35.1 32.4

Family Television Rules 

At least one television rule 

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,504 892 3,307 531 90.5 91.6 89.6 92.7

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,920 965 6,108 953 93.1 90.5 89.6 93.5

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,708 424 5,213 893 77.7 79.3 74.4 74.5

All three types of television rules 

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,080 677 2,567 462 73.3 69.5 69.6 80.6

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,094 756 4,750 760 75.5 70.9 69.7 74.6

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,577 215 3,247 570 50.3 40.2 46.3 47.5

Extracurricular Activities 

Sports 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,300 226 1,627 220 33.1 21.2 23.9 21.6

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,580 169 2,372 427 43.7 31.6 33.9 35.6

Lessons 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,416 231 1,637 195 33.8 21.7 24.0 19.1

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,708 100 1,695 247 31.2 18.7 24.2 20.6

Clubs 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,749 196 1,617 254 29.6 18.4 23.7 24.9

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,080 100 1,798 241 33.7 18.7 25.7 20.1

Academic Performance 

Gifted classes 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,000 83 717 76 12.5 7.8 10.5 7.5

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,263 69 1,571 244 28.3 12.9 22.4 20.4

Ever repeated a grade 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 42 363 67 2.7 3.9 5.3 6.6

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 923 68 586 154 6.1 12.7 8.4 12.8

Ever suspended 

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 800 26 712 165 5.3 4.9 10.2 13.8

See notes at end of table.
6 U.S. Census Bureau

It was also the case that a higher 

proportion of children 1 to 2 years 

old living with a single parent 

were never read to compared with 

children 1 to 2 years old living with 

cohabiting parents (9 percent and 5 

percent, respectively). 

Compared with children living with 

two married or unmarried parents, 

lower proportions of children living 

with a single parent were read to 

seven or more times per week—38 

percent of children 1 to 2 years old 

and 41 percent of children 3 to 5 

years old. Among children living 

with married parents, 56 percent 

of 1- to 2-year-olds and 54 percent 

of 3- to 5-year-olds were read to 

seven or more times per week. Not 

statistically different from similarly aged children living with two 

unmarried parents (52 percent and 

50 percent, respectively). 

Overall, children 1 to 2 years old 

living with two married parents 

were read to 8.5 times per week 

compared with 5.7 times for children of the same age living with a 

single parent. On average children 

3 to 5 years old living with two 

married parents were read to 6.8 

times per week, compared with 

6.0 times per week for children 3 

to 5 years old living with a single 

parent. 

Elementary school- and high schoolaged children living with a single 

parent were more likely to eat 

dinner with a parent than similarly 

aged children living with two 

unmarried parents.7

As Table 2 shows, children 12 to 17 

years old are generally more likely 

to eat breakfast with at least one 

parent at least 5 days a week than 

children 1 to 5 years old. Older 

children living with two unmarried 

parents were the exception. Fortyeight percent of children 12 to 17 

years old living with two unmarried 

parents had breakfast with at least 

one parent, not statistically different from the percent of children 1 

to 5 years old living with a single 

parent (40 percent) or living in 

another type of household (43 

percent). Regardless of a child’s living arrangement, high school-aged 

children were also more likely to 

have breakfast than dinner at least 

5 days a week with at least one reference parent. Older children may 

have more activities after school 

and are unavailable to share dinner 

with a parent. A higher proportion 

of children 6 to 11 years old and 

children 12 to 17 years old living 

with a single parent reported eating 

dinner with at least one parent at 

7 Elementary school age refers to children 

6 to 11 years old and middle school and high 

school age refers to children 12 to 17 years 

old. 

least 5 days a week than children 

living with two unmarried parents: 

25 percent compared with 17 percent for 6- to 11-year-olds and 35 

percent compared with 26 percent 

for 12- to 17-year-olds. 

Thirty-five percent of children 1 to 

5 years old living with married parents ate breakfast at least 5 days 

a week with a parent, not statistically different from the percent of 

children 1 to 5 years old living with 

two unmarried parents who did the 

same (39 percent). 

Elementary and high schoolaged children living with married 

parents were more likely to have 

television rules than children living 

with single parents. 

The child well-being module 

asked reference parents whether 

there were rules for the types of 

TV programs their children could 

watch, how early or late their 

children could watch TV, and limits 

on the number of hours watched. 

In 2011, 86 percent of children 3 

to 17 years old (53.4 million) lived 

in households with at least one 

type of television rule (see Table 

2). Children 6 to 11 years old living 

with married parents were more 

likely to have at least one type of 

family TV rule (93 percent) than 

similarly aged children living with 

Table 2. 

Children Under 18 by Presence of Parent(s) by Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being: 

2011—Con.

Selected indicators of child well-being 

 Numbers (in thousands) Percent 

Two 

parents1 Other families Two 

parents1 Other families

 Married 

 Unmarried One 

parent1 Guardian2 Married 

 Unmarried One 

parent1 Guardian2

Early Child Care Experiences3

Less than 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,850 261 799 131 25.4 22.0 26.7 23.6

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,570 373 1,693 247 43.1 38.3 45.9 43.1

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,464 309 2,811 373 34.1 29.0 41.2 36.6

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,249 111 2,225 335 28.2 20.7 31.8 27.9

X Not applicable. 1

 Living with two parents (married or unmarried) or one parent refers to children who point to biological, step, or adoptive parents. 2

 Children who do not live with a biological, step, or adoptive parent live with a guardian in absence of a parent. 3

 Includes only nonrelative child care providers such as Head Start, day care or preschool programs, babysitters, friends, or neighbors.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Wave 10.
U.S. Census Bureau 7

a single parent (90 percent). A 

similar pattern exists for children 

6 to 11 years old and multiple TV 

rules—76 percent of children living 

with married parents had all three 

types of TV rules, compared with 

70 percent of children living with a 

single parent. 

The frequency of imposing family 

TV rules is consistently lower for 

adolescents, but differences by the 

living arrangement of the child persist. Children 12 to 17 years old living with married parents are more 

likely to have all three types of TV 

rules (50 percent) than children 

living with two unmarried parents 

(40 percent) or children living with 

a single parent (46 percent). 

Children living with two unmarried 

parents or a single parent had 

substantively similar rates of 

participation in sports or lessons.

Data about participation in extracurricular activities were limited to 

children 6 to 17 years old and were 

based on parents’ responses to 

questions about children’s involvement in three extracurricular activities: sports, clubs, and lessons. Participation in sports teams includes 

those sponsored by a school or 

those in organized leagues. Clubs 

include Scouts, a religious group, 

a Girls or Boys Club, or 4-H activities. Lessons were interpreted very 

broadly to include those taken after 

school or on weekends, in subjects like music, dance, language, 

computers, or religion. Examining activities other than attending 

classes provides a more complete 

picture of academic experiences 

than considering grades alone. 

Participation in extracurricular 

activities can influence how a child 

makes the transition to adulthood.8

8 Joseph L. Mahoney, Reed W. Larson, and 

Jacquelynne S. Eccles, eds., Organized Activities As Contexts of Development: Extracurricular Activities, After-School and Community 

Programs. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum 

Associates, Inc., 2005. 

Nationally, 16.9 million (35 percent) 

children 6 to 17 years old participated in sports activities (see Table 

2). A higher proportion of children 

living with two married parents 

participated in sports activities 

compared with children in other 

living arrangements. Regardless 

of family type, a higher proportion of older children than younger 

children were likely to participate 

in sports.

Children living with married 

parents were more likely to participate in sports, clubs, or lessons. Children with fewer parents 

present may have more household 

responsibilities, leaving them with 

less time for involvement outside 

of school, or those families, which 

typically have lower incomes, may 

not be able to afford them. Children living with cohabiting parents 

or a single parent had comparable 

rates of participation in sports or 

lessons, regardless of the child’s 

age. However, children living with 

a single parent were more likely 

to participate in clubs compared 

with children living with two 

unmarried parents. 

Figure 2 shows that the poverty 

status of the child’s family played 

an important role in the participation in extracurricular activities. 

Within each specified activity, 

children whose family poverty status was 200 percent of poverty or 

higher had greater activity participation levels than children living 

below poverty or those whose poverty status was 100 to 199 percent 

of poverty. 

Ever repeating a grade was more 

common for high school-aged 

children living with two unmarried 

parents compared with high school 

aged-children living with married 

parents.

Figure 2.

Percent of Children 6 to 17 Years Old Participating in 

Extracurricular Activities by Family Poverty Status: 2011

Note: Percent of children in specified activities may exceed the total due to children

participation in more than one activity. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 Panel, Wave 10.

200 percent of

poverty or higher

100 to 199

percent of poverty Below poverty

In all 3

activities

Clubs

Lessons

Sports

4.4

34.2

24.9

20.1

35.9

22.7

42.5

28.8

22.5

20.4

11.2

5.4
8 U.S. Census Bureau

The SIPP child well-being module 

asked parents if their children 

were in a special class for gifted 

students or did advanced work in 

any subject. Table 2 shows that 

around 9 million (19 percent) 6- to 

17-year-olds were in such a class in 

2011. Children whose parents were 

married were more likely to be 

enrolled in gifted classes compared 

with children in other family living 

arrangements. Among children 

whose parents were married, 13 

percent of children 6 to 11 years 

old and 28 percent of children 12 

to 17 years old were enrolled in a 

gifted class. 

Children who repeat a grade or 

have ever been suspended from 

school are less likely to stay 

academically on-track. Repeating 

a grade was more common for children 12 to 17 years old living with 

two unmarried parents (13 percent) 

than for children 12 to 17 years old 

living with married (6 percent). 

Children aged 3 to 17 years old 

living with married parents or a 

single parent were more likely to 

have ever been in nonrelative child 

care compared with children living 

with two unmarried parents. 

Increases in the number of working mothers, changes in family 

structure, and the desire to provide children with early childhood 

educational opportunities have all 

driven up the demand for nonrelative child care.9 Although the direct 

impact of child care on child wellbeing has yet to be fully explored, 

growing proportions of children 

will likely experience nonrelative 

child care arrangements at early 

ages as long as parental employment remains stable and families 

seek out learning opportunities 

for their children. Table 2 presents 

9 Lynda Laughlin, “Who’s Minding the Kids? 

Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011,” Current Population Reports, P70-135. U.S. Census 

Bureau, Washington, DC, 2013. 

the number of children ever in 

a child care arrangement other 

than an immediate family member for children under 18 by the 

child’s family structure. Although 

the current characteristics of the 

family may not correspond to their 

characteristics at the time when 

their child first entered child care, 

the statistics in Table 2 provide 

one look at the different situations 

experienced by children living in 

varying family structures. 

In 2011, 24.8 million children 

under 18 years old (33 percent) 

had been cared for regularly in a 

nonrelative child care arrangement 

at some point in their childhood. 

Among children less than 3 years 

old, 25 percent had experienced 

a regular nonrelative child care 

arrangement, compared with 43 

percent of 3- to 5-year-olds. Among 

the older age groups, 36 percent of 

6- to 11-year-olds had participated 

in nonrelative child care arrangements, and 29 percent of 12- to 17- 

year-olds had been cared for in a 

nonrelative child care arrangement. 

Child care usage varies by the 

child’s age and family structure. 

Regardless of the child’s living 

arrangement, substantively similar 

percentages of children less than 3 

years old had experienced a regular 

nonrelative child care arrangement, ranging from 22 percent for 

children living with two unmarried 

parents to 27 percent for children 

living with a single parent. Children 3 to 5 years old living with 

a single parent were more likely 

to have ever been in a nonrelative 

child care arrangement, compared 

with children living with unmarried 

parents (46 percent and 38 percent, respectively). Older children 

of single parents were more likely 

to have ever been in a nonrelative child care arrangement than 

children living with two married 

or unmarried parents—41 percent 

compared with 34 percent and 

29 percent for 6- to 11-year-olds 

and 32 percent compared with 28 

percent and 21 percent for 12- to 

17-year-olds. 

SELECTED MEASURES OF 

CHILD WELL-BEING FOR 

CHILDREN LIVING WITH 

FOREIGN-BORN PARENTS

Children of immigrants are the fastest growing and one of the most 

diverse segments of America’s child 

population.10, 11 To examine the 

well-being of children in immigrant 

families, this report compares 

children with foreign-born parents 

to those with native-born parents. 

Children of immigrants are those 

with one or more parents who were 

born outside of the United States 

and its territories, regardless of 

whether the child was born abroad 

or in the United States. Children in 

native-born families have no parent 

born outside of the United States. 

Figure 3 shows that children living 

with at least one foreign-born parent were more likely to live with 

two married parents (73 percent) 

than children with native-born 

parents (60 percent). Children with 

native-born parent(s) were more 

likely to live with a single parent 

than children with a foreign-born 

parent (31 percent and 16 percent, 

respectively). Smaller proportions 

of children lived with two unmarried parents or a guardian (4 percent and 5 percent for children of 

native-born parents; 8 percent and 

3 percent for children of at least 

one foreign-born parent). Since 

married couple families tend, on 

average, to be better off economically, this may protect children in 

10 Ralph Salvador Oropesa and Nancy S. 

Landale, “Immigrant Legacies: Ethnicity, Generation, and Children’s Familial and Economic 

Lives,” Social Science Quarterly, 78, 1997, 

399–416. 11 Randolph Capps, et. al., The Health and 

Well-Being of Young Children of Immigrants.

Urban Institute, 2005. 
U.S. Census Bureau 9

immigrant families from some economic hardships. However, children 

with immigrant parents are still 

vulnerable to social and economic 

stresses including those inherent in 

the migration process. 

Children in native-born families are 

read to more often than children in 

foreign-born families.

Table 3 shows that a higher proportion of children 1 to 5 years 

old with at least one foreign-born 

parent were not read to by a family member in the past week (24 

percent) compared with children 

with native-born parents (11 percent). Slightly more than half (53 

percent) of 1- to 2-year-olds with 

native-born parents were read to 

7 or more times per week, compared with 43 percent of children 

of the same age with at least one 

foreign-born parent. Older children, 

3- to 5-year-olds, with native-born 

parents were slightly more likely to 

be read to 7 or more times a week 

than 3- to 5-year-olds with at least 

one foreign-born parent (51 percent 

and 47 percent, respectively). 

Children of native-born parents 

share dinner more often with a 

parent. 

Similar percentages of children 6 to 

11 years with native-born parents 

or foreign-born parents shared 

breakfast with a parent at least 5 

days a week (46 percent and 47 

percent, respectively). A similar 

pattern occurred among children 

12 to 17 years old. Younger children were the exception, however. 

Children under 6 with a foreignborn parent had breakfast more 

often with a parent (40 percent) 

than children with a native-born 

parent (36 percent). 

Overall, regardless of the reference 

parent’s nativity, children were less 

likely to have dinner at least 5 days 

a week with their reference parent 

compared to breakfast. However 

children with native-born parents 

Native-born parent(s) Foreign-born parent(s) 2

 Two married parents Two unmarried parents One parent Guardian

31.1

16.3

4.1

72.9

59.8

8.2

2.7

5.1

Figure 3.

Children's Living Arrangements by Nativity Status of Parent(s): 20111

(In percent)

1 Living with two parents (married or unmarried) or one parent refers to children who point to biological, step, or adoptive parents.

Children who do not point to a biological, step, or adoptive parent point to a guardian in absence of a parent.

2 Parental nativity status is based on the place of birth of one or more of the child's parents. A parent born in the United States or its 

terrorities is considerd native born. A parent born outside of the Untied States and its terrorities is considered foreign born. 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 Panel, Wave 10.
10 U.S. Census Bureau

Table 3. 

Children Under 18 by Presence of Native- or Foreign-Born Parent(s) by Selected Indicators 

of Child Well-Being: 20111—Con.

Selected indicators of child well-being 

Number (in thousands) Percent

 Native-born 

parent(s) 

 At least one parent 

foreign born 

 Native-born 

parent(s) 

 At least one parent 

foreign born 

 Total children, 2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56,835 17,459 100.0 100.0 

Child Age

Less than one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,031 745 5.3 4.3 

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,468 1,785 11.4 10.2 

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,042 3,485 17.7 20.0 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,975 5,947 33.4 34.1 

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,319 5,497 32.2 31.5 

Family Reading Practices 

Never read to last week

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384 259 5.9 14.5

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489 319 4.9 9.2

Read to 7 or more times per week

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,410 763 52.7 42.7

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,109 1,625 50.9 46.6

Average times read to child per week

1 to 2 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.0 6.5 X X 

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.6 6.3 X X 

Meals

Breakfast together at least 5 days per week 

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,985 2,096 36.3 39.8

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,800 2,781 46.4 46.8

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,341 2,838 51.0 51.6

Dinner together at least 5 days per week

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,888 808 17.5 15.3

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,040 915 21.3 15.4

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,396 1,380 34.9 25.1

Family Television Rules 

At least one television rule 

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,110 3,124 90.7 89.7

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,521 5,424 92.3 91.2

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,903 4,336 75.9 78.9

All three types of television rules

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,201 2,584 71.7 74.2

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13,902 4,458 73.3 75.0

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,755 2,855 47.8 51.9

Extracurricular Activities

Sports 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,008 1,365 31.7 23.0

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,730 1,818 42.2 33.1

Lessons 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,740 1,739 30.3 29.2

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,331 1,419 29.1 25.8

Clubs

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,683 1,133 29.9 19.1

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,007 1,212 32.8 22.0

Academic Performance

Gifted classes 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,204 672 11.6 11.3

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,939 1,208 27.0 22.0

Ever repeated a grade

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 708 197 3.7 3.3

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,420 311 7.8 5.7

Ever suspended

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,423 279 7.8 5.1

See notes at end of table.
U.S. Census Bureau 11

are more likely to have had dinner 

with a parent at least 5 days a week 

than children with at foreign-born 

parent. Children 12 to 17 years old 

with native-born parents had the 

highest percentage (35 percent) of 

eating dinner with a reference parent at least 5 days a week. 

Although the vast majority of 

children experienced some type of 

limitation on TV viewing, regardless 

of family nativity status, older 

children had television rules less 

often. 

Comparable proportions of 

preschool- and elementary schoolaged children of native-born or 

foreign-born parents had at least 

one television rule.12 Middle schooland high school-aged children—12 

to 17 years old—with a foreignborn parent were more likely to 

have at least one television rule 

compared with children with 

native-born parents (79 percent 

and 76 percent, respectively). 

A similar pattern exists when 

examining the proportion of children with three TV rules by age and 

parental nativity status. Between 72 

percent and 75 percent of 

preschool- and elementary schoolaged children had all three TV 

12 Preschool and elementary school aged 

refers to children 3 to 5 years old. 

rules. Middle school- and high 

school-aged children were less 

likely to have all three TV rules 

compared to younger children. 

Older children with a foreign-born 

parent had a higher level of TV 

supervision than children with a 

native-born parent (52 percent and 

48 percent, respectively). 

Children with at least one foreignborn parent participated in sports 

or clubs less often than children 

with native-born parents. 

Thirty percent of children 6 to 11 

years old with native-born parents 

participated in lessons, not statistically different from the percentage of foreign-born children 6 to 

11 years old who participated in 

lessons (29 percent). A smaller 

percentage (26 percent) of children 

12 to 17 years old with at least 

one foreign-born parent participated in lessons compared with 

similarly aged children of nativeborn parents (29 percent). A larger 

percentage of children 6 to 11 

years old with a native-born parent 

participated in clubs (30 percent) 

than similarly aged children with 

at least one foreign-born parent 

(19 percent). Participation in clubs 

was also more common for middle 

school- to high school-aged children with a native-born parent than 

children with at least one foreignborn parent (33 percent and 22 

percent, respectively). Larger proportions of children 6 to 11 years 

old and children 12 to 17 years old 

with a native-born parent participated in sports than similarly aged 

children with at least one foreignborn parent. 

Few differences emerged between 

children of native-born and foreignborn parents in measures of 

academic performance. 

Children 12 to 17 years old with 

native-born parents were more 

likely to be enrolled in gifted 

classes than those with a foreignborn parent (27 percent and 22 

percent, respectively). Repeating a 

grade was slightly more common 

for children 12 to 17 years old with 

native-born parents (8 percent) 

than older children with foreignborn parents (6 percent). Parents 

of children 12 to 17 years old were 

asked if their children had ever 

been expelled or suspended from 

school. Seven percent of children 

12 to 17 years old had been suspended at least once. Children with 

native-born parents had been suspended more often than children 

of a foreign-born parent (8 percent 

and 5 percent, respectively). 

Table 3. 

Children Under 18 by Presence of Native- or Foreign-Born Parent(s) by Selected Indicators 

of Child Well-Being: 20111—Con.

Selected indicators of child well-being 

Number (in thousands) Percent

 Native-born 

parent(s) 

 At least one parent 

foreign born 

 Native-born 

parent(s) 

 At least one parent 

foreign born 

Early Child Care Experiences2

Less than 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,561 480 27.0 19.0

3 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,626 1,257 46.1 36.1

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,210 1,747 38.0 29.4

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,717 1,202 31.2 21.9

X Not applicable. 1

 Parental nativity status is based on the place of birth of one or more of the child’s parents. A parent born in the United States is considered native born. A parent born outside of the United States is considered foreign born. 2

 Includes only nonrelative child care providers such as Head Start, day care or preschool programs, babysitters, friends, or neighbors.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Wave 10.
12 U.S. Census Bureau

Children with a foreign-born parent 

were less likely to have ever been in 

nonrelative child care. 

Table 3 shows that regardless of 

age, children living with at least 

one foreign-born parent were more 

likely to have been cared for by a 

relative than participate in nonrelative child care. 

Almost half of children 3 to 5 years 

old with a native-born parent had 

been regularly cared for by someone other than members of their 

immediate family (46 percent) compared to 36 percent of 3- to 5-yearolds with a foreign-born parent. 

Over a third (20 million) of children under 17 with a native-born 

reference parent had ever been in 

nonrelative child care, compared 

with 27 percent of children with a 

foreign-born parent (4.7 million). 

FAMILY TRANSITIONS AND 

SELECTED INDICATORS OF 

CHILD WELL-BEING

The longitudinal nature of the 

SIPP makes it possible to look at 

changes in household dynamics over time. This section of the 

report focuses on children who 

experience transitions in living 

arrangements, residential location, 

and parental employment and its 

association with selected measures 

of child well-being. This report 

looks at three types of transitions: 

family structure, residential, and 

parental employment. 

Using SIPP Data to Measure 

Household and Economic 

Transitions

The SIPP is a longitudinal survey 

conducted every 4 months. The 

data collected at each 4-month 

interval are referred to as a wave. 

Data from the SIPP can be used 

cross-sectionally by looking at individual reference months, or longitudinally by following individuals 

as they are interviewed in successive waves throughout the survey. 

The 2008 SIPP Panel collected 

data over the course of 16 waves, 

covering 67 reference months from 

May 2008 to November 2013. The 

data in this section of the report 

includes up to 40 months of data 

collected through Waves 1 to 10 

of the 2008 Panel covering calendar years 2008 to 2011.13 Only 

children who were in sample for at 

least 12 months are included.14

The SIPP obtains detailed information on each person’s relationship 

to every other person in the household at the time of the second 

interview, permitting the identification of parent-child relationships 

and the relationship of the reference parent to other members in 

the household (spouse, cohabiting 

partner, etc.). Based on this information, for each month, the reference parent and the identity of the 

reference parent’s spouse or cohabiting partner (if there was one) 

was recorded.15 A family structure 

transition occurred if the spouse or 

cohabiting partner was no longer in 

the household or if a new spouse 

or cohabiting partner moved into 

the household at any time over the 

40-month period. 

In each interview, respondents 

were asked if they worked for pay 

13 The most recent child well-being topical 

module was conducted in wave 10 of the 

2008 SIPP Panel. 14 The 12 months in sample did not have 

to be consecutive. 15 With the exception of data from the second interview (wave 2), cohabiting partners 

of the reference parent could not be identified 

in all months if they were not the householder or partnered with the householder. 

during the previous 4 months. The 

employment status for each parent 

in the household was recorded and 

an employment transition occurred 

if either parent lost or gained a job 

over the 40-month time period. 

Lastly, a residential transition

occurred if the child’s address 

changed at any point over the 40 

months. 

From these data, three additional 

measures capture whether the child 

experienced no transitions, at least 

one type of transition, or two or 

more types of transitions between 

2008 and 2011. 

Household and Family 

Characteristics by Type of 

Transition 

The most common type of 

transition that children experienced 

was a change in a parent’s 

employment status.

As shown in Table 4, 18 percent 

of children experienced at least 

one exit or entrance of a parent 

or a parent’s cohabiting partner 

between 2008 and 2011. Children 

under 6 years old are more likely to 

experience an exit or entrance of a 

parent or parent’s cohabiting partner compared with children 6 to 17 

years old (31 percent and 13 percent, respectively). Substantively 

similar proportions of children with 

native-born or foreign-born parents 

experienced a family structure transition (18 percent and 19 percent, 

respectively). 

Children living in families below 

poverty were more likely to experience a family structure transition (22 percent), compared with 

children living in families at or 

above poverty (17 percent). Poverty 
U.S. Census Bureau 13

can affect families economically, 

socially, and emotionally and can 

lead to family instability.16

Almost one in three children moved 

at least once between 2008 and 

2011. A higher proportion of Black 

children than White, non-Hispanic 

or Hispanic children moved at least 

once: 39 percent compared with 

25 percent and 31 percent, respectively. Differences in residential 

mobility are also related to poverty. 

Forty-two percent of children living 

in families below poverty moved 

at least once between 2008 and 

2011. The percentage of children 

who experienced a residential 

move was lower for children at or 

above poverty (25 percent). Among 

children at or above the poverty 

line, those living in households at 

300 percent of poverty or higher 

were less likely to move at least 

once between 2008 and 2011 (18 

percent) than children living in 

households at 299 percent of poverty or lower. 

Parents who have steady employment may be better able to provide 

consistent economic support, while 

parents who go through many 

job changes may have unpredictable work schedules and irregular income. On the other hand, a 

parent who changes jobs in order 

to earn more or to obtain a schedule that allows them more time 

with their children might benefit 

the family. Thirty-two percent of 

children had a least one parent or 

guardian who had an employment 

change between 2008 and 2011. 

16 Kathryn Edin and Rebecca Joyce Kissane, “Poverty and the American Family: A 

Decade in Review,” Journal of Marriage and 

Family, 72, 2010, 460–479. 

White, non-Hispanic children were 

less likely to experience transitions in parental employment (29 

percent) compared with Black or 

Hispanic children (39 percent and 

37 percent, respectively). Parental 

employment transitions are also 

related to poverty—44 percent of 

children living in families below 

poverty experienced transitions in 

parental employment compared 

with less than one-quarter of children living in the highest income 

group (300 percent of poverty or 

higher). 

In general, over half of children 

under the age of 17 experienced 

at least one of the types of transitions highlighted in this report at 

least once between 2008 and 2011. 

Twenty percent of children experienced two or more types of transitions. The most common type of 

transition experienced by children 

was a change in parental employment (32 percent). The 2008 SIPP 

data were collected during the 

latest economic recession, which 

lasted from 2007 to 2009.17 Recession effects may have undermined 

the stability of parental employment, particularly for fathers.18

Changes in the home environment 

and economic resources often 

17 For periods of recession in the United 

States, see the National Bureau of Economic 

Research, <www.nber.org/cycles.html>. The 

most recent recession began December 2007 

and ended June 2009. 18 Marybeth J. Mattingly, Kristin Smith, 

and Jessica Bean, Unemployment in the Great 

Recession: Single Parents and Men Hit Hard.

Carsey Institute, 2011. 

overlap.19 Figure 4 shows how 

often changes in family structure, 

residential location, and parental 

employment coincided among 

children who had at least one 

transition between 2008 and 2011. 

Overall, 56 percent (38.2 million) 

of children experienced at least 

one transition. Of the 12.4 million 

children who experienced a family 

structure transition, 4.8 million also 

experienced a parental employment 

transition (39 percent). Among 

children who moved (19.6 million), 

a higher proportion of children 

were more likely to have also 

experienced a parental employment transition (42 percent) than to 

have undergone a residential move 

and change in family structure (26 

percent). Overall, 3 percent (2.3 

million) of children encountered 

all three transitions at least once 

between 2008 and 2011. Table 4 

shows that children living below 

poverty were more likely to have 

encountered all three transitions 

compared to children living at or 

above poverty (6 percent and 3 percent, respectively).

Children who experienced family 

and household transitions 

were more often under 6 years 

of age, Black, and in families 

below poverty. 

A larger proportion of children 

under age 6 experienced at least 

one type of transition compared 

with older children (69 percent and 

51 percent, respectively). Younger 

19 See David K. Ihrke, Carol S. Faber, and 

William K. Koerber, “Geographic Mobility: 

2008 to 2009.” Current Population Reports, 

P20-565, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, 

DC., 2011, and Susan L. Brown, “Family Structure Transitions and Adolescent Well-Being,” 

Demography, 43, 2006, 447–461. 
14 U.S. Census Bureau Table 4. Family Structure, Residential, and Economic Transitions for Children Under 18 Between 2008 and 2011 by Selected Characteristics (Numbers in thousands) Characteristic Total Family structure transition Residential transition Employment transition Number of transitions Change in the number of par- ents or parent’s partners1 Percent Moved at least once between 2009– 2011 Percent At least one parent had an employ- ment change1,2 Percent No tran- sitions Percent At least one type of transi- tion Percent Two or more types of transi- tions Percent All three types of transi- tions Percent Total children, 2011 . . . . . 67,984 12,359 18.2 19,623 28.9 22,041 32.4 29,818 43.9 38,166 56.1 13,569 20.0 2,287 3.4 CHILD CHARACTERISTICS Sex Female . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33,181 6,148 18.5 9,702 29.2 10,729 32.3 14,394 43.4 18,787 56.6 6,696 20.2 1,097 3.3 Male . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,803 6,210 17.8 9,921 28.5 11,312 32.5 15,424 44.3 19,380 55.7 6,874 19.8 1,190 3.4 Age Under 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,448 6,333 31.0 6,846 33.5 7,887 38.6 6,384 31.2 14,065 68.8 5,933 29.0 1,069 5.2 6 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,536 6,026 12.7 12,777 26.9 14,154 29.8 23,434 49.3 24,102 50.7 7,637 16.1 1,218 2.6 Race and Hispanic Origin White alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,011 9,021 17.7 13,629 26.7 15,831 31.0 23,584 46.2 27,427 53.8 9,377 18.4 1,677 3.3 Non-Hispanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,456 6,242 17.1 9,163 25.1 10,576 29.0 17,877 49.0 18,579 51.0 6,261 17.2 1,140 3.1 Black alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,273 2,088 20.3 4,005 39.0 4,039 39.3 3,441 33.5 6,831 66.5 2,874 28.0 427 4.2 Asian alone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,621 434 16.6 731 27.9 691 26.4 1,219 46.5 1,402 53.5 405 15.5 50 1.9 Hispanic (any race) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,264 3,275 20.1 5,003 30.8 6,088 37.4 6,174 38.0 10,089 62.0 3,639 22.4 133 0.8 Nativity 3 Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,776 9,247 17.9 15,236 29.4 16,567 32.0 23,258 44.9 28,518 55.1 10,609 20.5 1,924 3.7 At least one foreign-born parent . . . 16,208 3,112 19.2 4,386 27.1 5,474 33.8 6,559 40.5 9,649 59.5 2,961 18.3 363 2.2 FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS Poverty Status Below poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,388 3,142 21.8 6,090 42.3 6,388 44.4 4,275 29.7 10,113 70.3 4,710 32.7 797 5.5 At or above poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51,789 8,773 16.9 12,880 24.9 14,703 28.4 24,946 48.2 26,844 51.8 8,187 15.8 1,326 2.6 100 to 199 percent of poverty . . . 16,380 3,422 20.9 5,523 33.7 6,309 38.5 5,714 34.9 10,666 65.1 3,910 23.9 678 4.1 200 to 299 percent of poverty . . . 11,253 1,961 17.4 2,976 26.4 3,379 30.0 5,174 46.0 6,080 54.0 1,873 16.6 363 3.2 300 percent of poverty or higher . 24,156 3,390 14.0 4,381 18.1 5,015 20.8 14,058 58.2 10,098 41.8 2,404 10.0 285 1.2 1 Includes only biological, step, or adoptive parents. 2 At least one parent had an employment change. 3 Parental nativity status is based on the place of birth of one or more of the child’s parents. A parent born in the United States is considered native born. A parent born outside of the United States is considered foreign born. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Waves 1–10.
U.S. Census Bureau 15

children were also more likely to 

experience multiple types of transitions—29 percent compared with 

16 percent of 6- to 17-year-olds 

(Table 4).

Black children were more likely 

to experience multiple family and 

household transitions. Two-thirds 

of Black children experienced at 

least one transition and 28 percent 

experienced at least two types of 

transitions. A greater proportion 

of Hispanic children experienced 

at least one transition (62 percent) 

than Asian (54 percent) or White, 

non-Hispanic children (51 percent). 

Seven in ten children living in 

families below poverty experienced family or household change. 

Children living in families at or 

above poverty were less likely to 

experience at least one transition 

than children living in families 

below poverty. The proportions 

of children from families at 100 

to 199 percent of poverty who 

experienced transitions were closer 

to those of children below poverty 

than children at 300 percent of 

poverty or higher. Regardless of the 

type of transition, children at 300 

percent of poverty or higher had 

the lowest rates of transitions. 

Family Transitions and 

Selected Measures of Child 

Well-Being 

Instability in childhood—changes in 

family structure, moving, or inconsistent parental employment—

may impact a child’s long-term 

well-being.20 The following section 

examines the relationship between 

family and household transitions 

that took place between 2008 and 

2011 and selected measures of 

child well-being. 

Middle school- and high school-aged 

children who have experienced a 

family structure transition were 

less likely to participate in certain 

extracurricular activities.

Children 12 to 17 years old who 

experienced a family structure transition were less likely to participate 

in sports or lessons than children 

who did not experience a family 

structure transition 

20 Shannon E. Cavanagh and Aletha C. 

Huston, “The Timing of Family Instability and 

Children’s Social Development,” Journal of 

Marriage and Family, 70, 2008, 1258–1269. 

Figure 4.

Relationship Between Family, Residential, and Employment Transitions for Children 

Under 18: 2008–2011

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Waves 1–10.

(In millions) Total

employment

transition

22.0M

Employment only

Family structure only

Residential only

4.7

2.5

2.9

5.9

All three

8.6

11.3

2.3

Total 

residential

transition

19.6M

Total 

family

structure

transition

12.4M

At least one

transition

38.2

(56%)

No transitions

29.8

(44%)
16 U.S. Census Bureau

(Table 5). Forty-one percent of 

children with no family structure 

transition participated in sports 

compared with 33 percent of 

12- to 17-year-olds who did experience a family structure transition. Family structure transitions 

had little impact on the academic 

performance of 12- to 17-year-olds. 

Similar percentages of children participated in gifted classes, repeated 

a grade, or were suspended from 

school. A family structure transition 

had no impact on the extracurricular activity participation for children 

between the ages of 6 to 11 years 

old. 

Children who experienced 

residential transitions were 

less likely to participate in 

extracurricular activities and 

had lower levels of academic 

performance. 

Children’s participation in activities and school performance is 

associated with residential mobility. Twenty-six percent of children 

6 to 11 years old who moved at 

least once between 2008 and 2011 

participated in sporting activities, 

compared with 32 percent of children who did not move. A smaller 

percentage of children aged 6 to 

11 who moved at least once took 

lessons compared with children 

who did not move (26 percent and 

32 percent, respectively). Among 

children 12 to 17 years old, children who did not move were more 

likely to participate in each type 

of extracurricular activity as well 

as gifted classes than children 

who moved at least once. Repeating a grade was more common for 

children of both age groups who 

moved at least once between 2008 

and 2011. Children 12 to 17 years 

old who did not move at least once 

were less likely to have ever been 

suspended from school (7 percent) 

than children who moved at least 

once (8 percent). 

Parental employment changes were 

not associated with grade retention 

or school suspension.

Among children 6 to 11 years, 

those who had at least one parent 

who had an employment change 

were less likely to participate in 

extracurricular activities than 

children who did not experience 

a parental employment change. 

Twenty-six percent of children who 

experienced a parental employment change participated in sports, 

compared with 32 percent of children who experienced no parental 

employment change between 2008 

and 2011. 

A similar pattern followed for children 12 to 17 years old. Older children who had at least one parent 

experience an employment change 

were less likely to participate in 

sports and lessons than children 

who did not experience any parental employment changes. 

Twelve percent of children 6 to 11 

years old who did not experience 

a parental employment change 

were enrolled in gifted classes, not 

statistically different from similarly 

aged children who did experience a 

parental employment changes (11 

percent). Children 12 to 17 years 

old who did experience a parental 

employment change were enrolled 

in gifted classes (26 percent), 

not different from similarly aged 

children who did not experience 

a parental employment change 

(24 percent). Parental employment changes were also unrelated to grade retention or school 

suspension. 

Regardless of age or the type of 

transition, the same proportions 

of children interacted with their 

parents when it came to family 

reading time or meals. 

Measures of parental interaction 

with children, such as family reading time or shared meals, did not 

statistically differ between children 

who experienced a transition and 

those who did not. For example, 51 

percent of children 1 to 5 years old 

who did not experience a family 

structure transition were read to by 

a family member 7 or more times 

per week, not different from 49 

percent of children who did experience a family structure transition. 

Regardless of transition status, 

between 48 percent to 52 percent 

of children were read to 7 or more 

times per week. 

Over one-third of children 1 to 5 

years old who did not experience 

a family structure transition ate 

breakfast with the reference parent 

at least 5 days a week, not different from children who did experience a family transition change 

(34 percent). Older children were 

more likely than younger children 

to share breakfast with a parent at 

least 5 days a week, but there was 

a statistically significant difference 

between 6- to 17-year-olds who did 

or did not experience family instability (48 percent and 52 percent, 

respectively). 
U.S. Census Bureau 17

Table 5. 

Household Composition, Residential, and Economic Transitions for Children Under 18 

Between 2008 and 2011 by Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being

(Numbers in thousands)

Selected indicators of child well-being 

Family structure 

transition

Residential 

transition

Employment 

transition Number of transitions 

No 

change 

in the 

number 

of parents or 

parent’s 

partners

Change 

in the 

number 

of parents or 

parent’s 

partners1 No move

Moved 

at least 

once 

between 

2008–

2011

No job 

change

At least 

one parent 

had an 

employment 

change1,2

No transitions

At least 

one type 

of transition 

Two or 

more 

types of 

transitions

Total children, 2011

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,116 6,332 13,602 6,847 12,561 7,888 6,384 14,065 5,932

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,018 3,233 17,052 7,198 16,490 7,760 11,093 13,158 4,322

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,492 2,793 17,707 5,578 16,891 6,394 12,341 10,944 3,315

Family Reading Practices 

Never read to last week

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.3 7.3 6.4 7.1 6.0 7.5 5.5 7.1 7.9

Read to 7 or more times per week

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.2 48.8 50.8 49.8 51.9 48.2 52.3 49.7 48.0

Average time read to child per week

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 7.1 7.2 6.6 7.1 6.7 7.3 6.8 6.7

Meals

Breakfast together at least 5 days per week 

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.1 34.0 35.0 34.5 36.5 32.1 37.0 33.8 32.8

6 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48.4 51.5 48.3 49.9 49.3 47.5 49.3 48.2 51.7

Dinner together at least 5 days per week 

1 to 5 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.4 15.1 14.8 16.4 15.7 14.8 16.6 14.8 16.7

6 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26.0 27.1 26.9 24.0 27.2 23.7 27.4 24.9 23.5

Extracurricular Activities 

Sports 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.1 28.5 31.6 25.9 32.0 25.5 32.6 27.7 22.4

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.0 32.9 41.3 35.8 41.4 36.3 43.8 35.7 34.7

Lessons 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.4 28.5 31.9 26.0 31.8 26.7 33.9 26.9 24.9

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28.8 24.6 29.6 24.0 29.5 25.2 30.6 25.7 21.6

Clubs 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27.7 27.5 28.1 26.5 28.5 25.9 29.4 26.2 26.4

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30.7 27.9 31.0 28.2 31.0 28.5 32.2 28.2 27.5

Academic Performance 

Gifted classes 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.8 10.2 12.0 10.8 12.0 10.9 12.5 10.9 10.0

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25.8 25.0 26.4 23.4 26.2 24.2 27.2 24.0 23.7

Ever repeated a grade 

6 to 11 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.6 3.8 3.0 5.1 3.6 3.7 3.0 4.1 4.5

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 8.8 6.0 10.7 7.0 7.5 6.2 8.1 11.4

Ever suspended 

12 to 17 years old . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 8.5 6.7 8.4 7.0 7.4 6.7 7.6 8.9

1

 Includes only biological, step, or adoptive parents. 2

 At least one parent had an employment change.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Survey of Income and Program Participation, 2008 panel, Waves 1–10.
18 U.S. Census Bureau

One in four children had two or 

more types of transitions between 

2008 and 2011.

Children who experience multiple 

transitions may experience less 

household and economic stability.21

Table 5 shows that children 6 to 

11 years old who did not experience a change in family structure, 

residence, or parental employment 

were more likely to participate 

in clubs than children who experienced at least one type of the 

aforementioned transitions (29 

percent and 26 percent, respectively). Children who did experience at least two types of transitions between 2008 and 2011 were 

more likely to have ever repeated a 

grade at the time of the survey: 5 

percent compared with 3 percent of 

6- to 11-year-olds and 11 percent 

compared with 6 percent of 12- to 

17-year-olds. Middle school- and 

high school-aged children who 

experienced two or more types 

of transitions were more likely to 

have been suspended from school 

than children 12 to 17 years old 

who did not experience any transitions (9 percent and 7 percent, 

respectively).

As shown in Table 5, there were 

relatively few differences in child 

outcomes between children who 

experienced at least one type 

of transition and children who 

experienced two or more types 

of transitions. For example, 28 

percent of children 6 to 11 years 

old who experienced at least one 

type of transition participated in 

sporting activities, compared with 

22 percent of children who experienced multiple types of transitions 

between 2008 and 2011. Children 

21 Jay D. Teachman, “The Living Arrangements of Children and their Educational WellBeing,” Journal of Family Issues, 29, 2008, 

734–761. 

12 to 17 years old with one transition were more likely to take 

lessons than children who experienced two or more types of transitions (26 percent and 22 percent, 

respectively). Older children with 

one transition were less likely to 

have ever repeated a grade compared with children with multiple 

transitions (8 percent and 11 percent, respectively).

Characteristics such as family 

income, parental education, and 

family size are inter-related and 

should be considered when evaluating the relationships between 

family and household transitions 

and child outcomes. This report 

presents a broad picture of the 

relationship between family and 

household change and child wellbeing and does not analyze in 

detail the independent contribution of particular parental and child 

characteristics to child well-being.22

SUMMARY 

This report outlines some important aspects of childhood: children’s 

living arrangements, nativity, and 

family and household transitions. 

These data show that these aspects 

of children’s lives are related to 

their well-being. Children’s living 

arrangements and family structure 

transitions were associated with 

various measures of child wellbeing. Children living with two 

married parents received more 

reading attention and television 

supervision than children living 

with a single parent. However, 

while the difference between 

22 To isolate the contribution of individual factors that are related to behavioral 

outcomes for children, one would need a 

multivariate analysis which would control for 

the effect of many factors simultaneously. 

This type of analysis is in progress and will 

be released as a working paper. 

the two groups was statistically 

significant, the magnitude of the 

differences was often small. Child 

well-being outcomes for children 

living with two unmarried parents 

were more similar to the outcomes 

of children living with a single parent than the outcomes of those living with two married parents. Older 

children who experienced a family 

structure transition were less likely 

to participate in certain extracurricular activities. 

Children who had a foreign-born 

parent were more likely to be living 

with two married parents, but they 

had less parental interaction than 

children with a native-born parent. 

Children with a foreign-born parent 

were less likely to have ever been 

in nonrelative child care. 

This report also provides baseline 

national level estimates of the 

percentages of children who experienced transitions related to family 

structure, residence, and parental 

employment. Over half (56 percent) 

of children experienced at least one 

type of transition between 2008 

and 2011. The most common type 

of transition that children experienced was a change in a parent’s 

employment status (32 percent). 

Family income was associated with 

the occurrence of a household or 

economic transition. Children living 

in economically well-off families 

(300 percent of poverty or higher) 

were less likely to experience a 

family, residential, or parental 

employment transition compared 

with children living in families with 

monthly incomes below poverty. 

The impact of family and household transitions was most notable 

on children’s extracurricular and 

academic performance. Time spent 

reading with children and shared 
U.S. Census Bureau 19

meal times were not sensitive to 

changes in family structure, residence, or parental employment. 

SOURCE OF THE DATA

The population represented (the 

population universe) in the 2008 

Survey of Income and Program 

Participation (SIPP) is the civilian 

noninstitutionalized population living in the United States. The SIPP is 

a longitudinal survey conducted at 

4-month intervals. The data in this 

report were collected from September through December 2011 in the 

tenth wave of the 2008 SIPP Panel. 

The institutionalized population, 

which is excluded from the population universe, is composed primarily of the population in correctional 

institutions and nursing homes (98 

percent of the 4.0 million institutionalized population in Census 

2010).

Although the main focus of the 

SIPP is information on labor force 

participation, jobs, income, and 

participation in federal assistance 

programs, information on other 

topics is also collected in topical 

modules on a rotating basis. 

ACCURACY OF THE DATA

Statistics from surveys are subject 

to sampling and nonsampling error. 

All comparisons presented in this 

report have taken sampling error 

into account and are significant 

at the 90 percent confidence level 

unless otherwise noted. This means 

the 90 percent confidence interval for the difference between the 

estimates being compared does not 

include zero. Nonsampling errors 

in surveys may be attributed to a 

variety of sources, such as how the 

survey was designed, how respondents interpret questions, how 

able and willing respondents are to 

provide correct answers, and how 

accurately the answers are coded 

and classified. The Census Bureau 

employs quality control procedures 

throughout the production process—including the overall design 

of surveys, the wording of questions, review of the work of interviewers and coders, and statistical 

review of reports—to minimize 

these errors. The SIPP weighting 

procedure uses ratio estimation, 

whereby sample estimates are 

adjusted to independent estimates 

of the national population by age, 

race, sex, and Hispanic origin. This 

weighting partially corrects for bias 

due to undercoverage, but biases 

may still be present when people 

who are missed by the survey 

differ from those interviewed in 

ways other than age, race, sex, and 

Hispanic origin. How this weighting procedure affects other variables in the survey is not precisely 

known. All of these considerations 

affect comparisons across different 

surveys or data sources. The SIPP 

2008 Panel Wave 10 experienced a 

43 percent attrition of the original 

sample since Wave 1, which had a 

nonresponse rate of 19 percent.

For further information on the 

source of the data and accuracy of 

the estimates including standard 

errors and confidence intervals, go 

to <www.census.gov/content

/dam/Census/programs-surveys

/sipp/tech-documentation

/source-accuracy-statements/2008

/SIPP 2008 Panel Wave 05 - Core 

Source and Accuracy Statements

.pdf> or contact Stephen Mack of 

the Census Bureau’s Demographic 

Statistical Methods Division via 

e-mail at <Stephen.P.Mack@census

.gov>.

Additional information on the SIPP 

can be found at the following Web 

sites: <www.sipp.census.gov

/sipp/> (main SIPP Web site), 

<www.sipp.census.gov/sipp

/workpapr/wp230.pdf> (SIPP Quality Profile), and <www.census.gov

/programs-surveys/sipp

/methodology/users-guide.html> 

(SIPP User’s Guide).

MORE INFORMATION

The report and the detailed tables 

are available on the Internet at 

<www.census.gov>; search for 

child well-being data by clicking on 

the letter “C” in the “Index A to Z” 

section on the Web page and selecting “Children.” The previous reports 

A Child’s Day: 2006 (Selected 

Indicators of Child Well-Being) (P70-

118); A Child’s Day: 2003 (Selected 

Indicators of Child Well-Being) (P70-

109); A Child’s Day: 2000 (Selected 

Indicators of Child Well-Being); and 

A Child’s Day: Home, School, and 

Play (Selected Indicators of Child 

Well-Being) with 1994 data are also 

found on this page.

CONTACT

For additional child well-being 

information, you may contact the 

authors of this report in the Fertility and Family Statistics Branch 

on 301-763-2416. You may also 

contact the author of this report by 

e-mail.

Lynda Laughlin

<Lynda.L.Laughlin@census.gov>

SUGGESTED CITATION

Laughlin, Lynda, 2014, A Child’s 

Day: Living Arrangements, Nativity, and Family Transitions: 2011, 

Current Population Reports, 

P70-139, U.S. Census Bureau, 

Washington, DC. 
20 U.S. Census Bureau

Appendix Table A. 

Selected Measures of Child Well-Being Question Text 

Child well-being measure Question text Universe 

Family reading practices About how many times in the PAST WEEK, in 

total, did any family member read stories to 

[CHILD]?

Number of times: @

(N) None

Children 1 to 5 years old

Shared mealtimes In a TYPICAL WEEK LAST MONTH, how many 

DAYS did [REFERENCE PARENT] eat BREAKFAST 

with [CHILD].

In a TYPICAL WEEK LAST MONTH, how many 

DAYS did [REFERENCE PARENT] eat DINNER with 

[CHILD].

Children 1 to 17 years old

Family television rules Are there family rules for [CHILD] about what 

television programs [CHILD] can watch?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Are there family rules about how early or late 

[CHILD] may watch television?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Are there family rules about how many hours 

[CHILD] may watch television?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 3 to 17 years old

Extracurricular activities

Lessons Did [CHILD] take lessons after school or on weekends in subjects like music, dance, language, 

computers, or religion?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 6 to 17 years old

Clubs Did [CHILD] participate in any clubs or organizations after school or on weekends, such as 

Scouts, a religious group, or a Girls or Boys club?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 6 to 17 years old

Sports Was [CHILD] on a sports team either in or out of 

school?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 6 to 17 years old

Academic performance

Gifted class Did [CHILD] go to a special class for gifted students, or do advanced work in any subjects?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 6 to 17 years old

Repeated a grade Has [CHILD] repeated any grades, or been held 

back for any reasons?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 6 to 17 years old

Suspended Has [CHILD] ever been suspended, excluded, or 

expelled from school?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 12 to 17 years old

Early child care experiences Other than members of [CHILD]’s immediate family, has [CHILD] EVER been cared for regularly in 

any Head Start, day care, or preschool programs 

or by any day care providers or babysitters?

(1) Yes

(2) No

Children 0 to 17 years old