Predicting early center care utilization in a context of universal access

This paper reports predictors for center care utilization prior to 18 months of age in Norway, a country with a welfare system providing up to one-year paid parental leave and universal access to subsidized and publicly regulated center care. A community sample of 1103 families was interviewed about demographics, family, and child characteristics when their child was 6 months old, and the child's entry into center care prior to 18 months of age was recorded. Utilization rate was 72.2%. Parents’ preference that their child entered center care prior to 18 months of age was the strongest predictor of utilization. Nonwestern immigrant status and lower socio-economic status predicted lower utilization. Age of entry was higher for children in two-parent families. Mother's severe health problems, parents’ preferences for entry prior to 18 months, and high child activity levels predicted earlier entry. Our findings suggest that in a context of universally accessible subsidized center care, family and child factors beyond preferences for center care predicted utilization only to a very limited extent.