Survey of child-care needs of lower-paid personnel

The purpose of this study was to identify unmet needs for child care among lower-paid personnel employed at Harvard University. This identification was aimed both at estimating the numbers of lower-paid staff currently and prospectively in need of better child care and at determining causes of inadequate current care.

A brief questionnaire and cover letter was mailed to approximately 5,000 Harvard employees whose annual income was less than $15,000. Of the 371 respondents, 286 were female, 137 of whom were mothers of at least one child.

The one-page questionnaire was designed to assess basic aspects of the employee's job, basic demographic facts, financial situation, current child-care arrangements, subjective evaluations of child-care arrangements, and preferences for child-care arrangements.

The Murray Center has the completed questionnaires and computer-accessible data.