美国企业研究所-就业和安全网调查：家庭在大流行一年后表现如何？（英文）-2021.4-41页_6mb

Summary of Employment and Safety Net Survey, Wave II

Core Content

The Employment and Safety Net Survey, Wave II provides an analysis of how American families were affected by the coronavirus pandemic one year into the crisis, focusing on the impact of school closures and childcare challenges on parental employment and caregiving responsibilities.

Main Findings

• School Attendance: By February 2021, only one-third of working-age parents had children attending school in person full-time. Over 40% had at least one child in full-time virtual learning, indicating significant instability in educational access.

• Income Disparities: Parents in higher-income households were more likely to report some in-person schooling for their children, while low-income parents were more likely to have children in full-time virtual learning or not attending formal school at all.

• Caretaking Challenges: A slight majority of parents with school-age children reported that their child-related responsibilities had become more difficult since the start of the pandemic. These challenges were more pronounced for low- and high-income households compared to middle-income ones.

• Coping Strategies: Parents commonly reported:

  • Caring for children at home.
  • Changing job schedules or working fewer hours.
  • Refusing or quitting jobs due to childcare responsibilities.
  • Over 45% of parents of young children experienced work disruptions due to childcare needs.

• Childcare Use: Childcare use among parents of young children returned to pre-pandemic levels in February 2021. However, one-third of parents who used childcare before the pandemic were not using it by February 2021.

• Reasons for Not Using Childcare:

  • 73% cited not needing it.
  • 17% reported fear of COVID-19.
  • Only 10% attributed it to lack of availability or provider closure.

• Confidence in Childcare Access: Despite challenges, a majority of parents remained confident that they would have childcare in place to meet their needs within the next month.

• Employer Accommodation: Most working parents reported that their employers were accommodating in meeting family care needs. However, low-income parents were more likely to report lack of employer support.

• Public Health Concerns: Fewer parents expressed health-related concerns about placing children in childcare settings in February 2021 compared to July 2020, possibly due to increased awareness or confidence in safety measures.

• Childcare Sector Resilience: The childcare system appeared to meet working parents' needs, despite the challenges. This suggests that the system itself was not fundamentally broken, but affordability and accessibility remained key concerns.

• Federal Response: Congress expanded childcare assistance through the American Rescue Plan in March 2021, significantly increasing federal spending on childcare. However, the survey suggests that this expansion was excessive and poorly targeted, as most families were already meeting their childcare needs.

Key Information

• The survey was conducted on 1,566 parents who completed both the July 2020 and February 2021 waves.
• Mothers were more likely to be employed if their children were in in-person or hybrid school settings.
• Childcare needs among parents of young children were largely met, though some unmet needs persisted, primarily due to fear of COVID-19 and not needing it.
• Employment disruptions were common among parents, especially low-income parents, due to childcare-related responsibilities.
• Confidence in childcare access increased from July 2020 to February 2021.
• The American Rescue Plan significantly expanded federal childcare funding, but the survey indicates that this may have been unnecessary given the existing childcare system's resilience.

Implications for Policy

• The survey suggests that reforms to childcare policies should focus on affordability and accessibility, not necessarily on overhauling the system.
• The pandemic-related childcare crisis may have been overblown, and the current system is largely adequate.
• Partisan expansion of childcare assistance through the American Rescue Plan may have overlooked the true needs of families, leading to excessive spending.

Conclusion

One year into the pandemic, the childcare and education systems have shown resilience and adaptability, meeting the needs of most working parents. While challenges persisted, they were not primarily due to a lack of childcare availability, but rather economic and public health concerns. The survey highlights the need for targeted and affordable childcare solutions rather than large-scale federal intervention.