Different types of day care and their relationship to maternal satisfaction,perceived support,and role conflict

Mothers using three different kinds of day care arrangements for their preschoolers: home day care providers, day care centers, andau pairs, were asked to rate their satisfaction with these types of care on a multidimensional scale. Measures of perceived support from spouse and employer, role conflict and maternal separation anxiety were also completed. While demographic variables including mother's age, education, and income proved to be highly correlated with the kind of day care chosen, role conflict and anxiety about being separated from her child were unrelated to type of arrangement used. Although the mothers generally reported at least moderate levels of satisfaction with different aspects of their child's care, those using day care centers were significantly less satisfied with the availability of their arrangements. Mothers using both centers and home day care providers also expressed significantly more concern with the amount of attention their child received.