In “Under Pressure: Basic Necessities and Emotional Distress Put Strain on Families Who Use Home-Based Child Care and Have a Child with Special Needs,” Iheoma Iruka, PhD, a faculty fellow at the UNC Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) and Jenille Morgan, MA, a research associate at FPG, share foundational data and insights integral to their work on the Center for Home-Based Child Care Research.

In their publication, Iruka and Morgan show that data from Stanford University’s RAPID Survey indicate that, among families who use home-based child care, those who have children with special needs, such as mental health or physical needs, face more economic challenges in meeting basic necessities—for example, food and housing—compared with families who do not have children with special needs.

Additionally, compared with families of children without special needs, these families report higher levels of emotional distress both for themselves and their children. Moreover, all of these differences are found across income levels—even higher-income families with a child who has special needs report more difficulty meeting basic needs and greater emotional stress than similar families without such children, showing that having a child with special needs affects family well-being across income levels for those using home-based child care.

“There is often limited discussion and focus on home-based child care, even though the majority of children are in some form of home-based child care,” says Iruka. “We know that families with children with special needs have unique needs when looking for the highest quality care that meets their family’s and child’s special needs. This data insight provides a snapshot of these families' socioeconomic and psychosocial status compared to families who don’t have a child with special needs using home-based child care.”

In the report, Iruka and Morgan point out implications for future research—suggesting that further research could help clarify what families of children with special needs want in child care and shed even more light on the factors that guide their choices—such as program features, financial needs, and personal stress, in addition to the developmental needs of their children.

For more information, read the full data insight here.