The child care field has worked for decades to support programs that will provide children with growth-enhancing child care that will enable them to be ready for school. However, it is easy to forget that many children are in the care of family, friends, and neighbors while their parents work.
Many parents prefer home-based care by familiar individuals for infants and toddlers.
Many parents need care part-time or during nontraditional hours, such as night or weekend shifts, when formal child care cannot be arranged, and when parents may prefer to have their children in their own homes, anyway. Variable and unpredictable work obligations. Many parents do not work predictable hours or have permanent jobs and therefore cannot use family child care businesses and child care centers. Availability of alternatives. Some low-income neighborhoods lack formal child care programs.