Using every major nationally representative dataset on parental and non-parental care provided to children up to age 6, we quantify differences in American children's care experiences by socioeconomic status (SES), proxied primarily with maternal education. Increasingly, higher-SES children spend less total time with their parents and more time in the care of others. Non-parental care for high-SES children is more likely to be in childcare centers, where average quality is higher, and less likely to be provided by relatives where average quality is lower. Even within types of childcare, higher-SES children tend to receive care of higher measured quality and higher cost. Inequality is evident at home as well: measures of parental enrichment at home, from both self-reports and outside observers, are on average higher for higher-SES children. We also find that parental and non-parental quality is reinforcing: children who receive higher quality non-parental care also tend to receive higher quality parental care.

中文翻译：

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美国儿童经历的早期护理不平等。

我们利用向 6 岁以下儿童提供的父母和非父母照顾的每个主要全国代表性数据集，按社会经济地位 (SES) 量化美国儿童照顾经历的差异，主要以母亲教育为代表。社会经济地位较高的孩子与父母相处的时间越来越少，而花在照顾他人上的时间越来越多。高社会经济地位儿童的非父母照顾更有可能在平均质量较高的托儿中心，而不太可能由平均质量较低的亲戚提供。即使在儿童保育类型中，社会经济地位较高的儿童也往往会接受更高质量和更高成本的保育。家庭中的不平等也很明显：从自我报告和外部观察者的角度来看，社会经济地位较高的孩子的父母在家里的富裕程度平均更高。我们还发现，父母和非父母的质量正在增强：接受更高质量的非父母照顾的孩子也往往会接受更高质量的父母照顾。