A TYPOLOGY OF FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN IN SELF-CARE - IMPLICATIONS FOR SCHOOL-AGE CHILD-CARE PROGRAMMING

An increasing number of schools and youth service organizations are developing school-age child care programs to serve children who would otherwise be left in self-care. The purpose of this study was to identify the differences between families using a self-care arrangement and the implications of these differences for school-age child care program development. A sample of 164 families with school-age children in self-care (or the care of another school-age sibling), was drawn from a Southern metropolitan school system. Parents were surveyed about their self-care arrangement, the types of school-age child care services they needed, and barriers to having those needs met. Using discriminant analysis, the 164 families were reclassified into three groups. The resulting family profiles are examined in relation to school-age child care program development.