Child Care

This brief describes the effects of an alternative policy that would expand child care by providing subsidies for children ages three and younger in working families with incomes at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.

This study used a rigorous difference-in-differences approach to examine the effect of child care policy on women's labor force participation.

Research generally has demonstrated the employment benefits of providing child care.  However, much of the existing research on child care policies on parental labor force participation was conducted prior to the early 2000s or in non-U.S.

This infographic shows that, in the United States, infancy is the age at which individuals are most likely to enter shelter or transitional housing, followed by ages one to five, and homelessness during pregnancy and in the early years is harmful to children’s development. Given the research showing the importance of addressing early childhood homelessness, the U.S.

This brief provides descriptive information on child care eligibility and receipt. Of the 14.2 million children eligible for child care subsidies under federal rules, 15 percent received subsidies. Of the 8.9 million children eligible for child care subsidies under state rules, 25 percent received subsidies. Poorer children were more likely to receive subsidies than less poor children.

Angela M. Greene, Michael Lepore, Linda Lux, Kristie Porter, and Emily Vreeland RTI International Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (81 PDF pages)

ABOUT THIS ISSUE BRIEF This ASPE issue brief on federal child care assistance eligibility and receipt shows that approximately 17 percent of federally-eligible children received subsidized care through CCDF or related government funding streams in an average month in fiscal year 2011.

This report provides an examination of the length of time that low-income families receive government-funded child care subsidies that pay for part or all of the cost of their care arrangements. The figures presented are based on ASPE's analysis of a restricted-use version of child care subsidy administrative data from 35 states.

The authors would like to acknowledge our Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Services Policy, Ajay Chaudry, for his leadership and vision in the development of this report. The authors would also like to acknowledge Barbara Broman, Ann McCormick, Martha Moorehouse, and Pam Winston for their direction and reviews.

The paper addresses four areas of work-family policy with particular relevance for the wellbeing of low-income working parents and their families: (1) unpaid family and medical leave, (2) paid parental or family leave (extended leave), (3) paid sick leave (short-term leave), and (4) workplace flexibility or initiatives to expand employees’ control over work shifts, hours, and other circumstance