Overview

This is one of a number of reports to the Department of Human Services and Health based on data collected for the Australian Living Standards Study. It examines the issue of work related child care for families with preschool aged children living in the nine urban areas studied: Berwick, Box Hill, Werribee and Melbourne in Victoria; Campbelltown, Penrith, South Sydney and Ryde in New South Wales; Elizabeth/Munno Para in South Australia. The report describes patterns of child care and family situations across the nine urban localities studied, and examines what factors were important in determining the choice of child care arrangements for these families. It examines the relationship between theoretical factors and main type of care used, and the relative importance of parental preference, local access, affordability and mother's employment.