Related Resource of 20608
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Select Citation
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The effect of child care subsidies for moderate-income families in Cook County, Illinois: Final report [Executive summary] A summary of a study of the impact on employment, earnings, and child care outcomes of expanding child care subsidy eligibility to moderate-income families and of extending the subsidy eligibility redetermination period from six months to a year, based on 1,884 Cook County, Illinois, child care subsidy applicants with incomes exceeding the state's eligibility limit who were randomly assigned to standard or expanded eligibility and, if assigned to expanded eligibility, to standard or extended redetermination |
Executive Summary |
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Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies A multi-site, multi-year study to gather research evidence that will inform policy decision-making in states and communities and effective allocation of child care subsidy funds. In particular, the study looks at how different child care subsidy policies and procedures and quality improvement efforts help low-income parents obtain and hold onto jobs and improve outcomes for children. Study staff worked with states and communities across the country to identify significant issues and develop hypotheses about the use of child care subsidy funds that could be rigorously tested in a series of experiments. A guiding principle of the study was that state or community interests and preferences would play a large role in the choice of research topics and strategies. Study sites and focus of evaluation include: (1) effectiveness of three language and literacy curricula on teaching practices and children's language and literacy outcomes (Miami, Dade County, Florida); (2) effectiveness of training on Learning Games curriculum in changing care-giving practices in family child care homes and children's developmental outcomes (Massachusetts); (3) impact of alternative eligibility and re-determination child care subsidy policies on parental employment outcomes, choice and stability of care, and other family outcomes (Illinois); and (4) impact of alternative child care co-payment structures on use of child care subsidies and employment outcomes (Washington State). |
Administration for Children and Families/OPRE Projects |
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Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies: Illinois Site Public Use Files, 2005-2006 The Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies is a multi-site, multi-year effort to determine whether and how different child care subsidy policies and procedures and quality improvement efforts help low-income parents obtain and hold onto jobs and improve outcomes for children. Funding from the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) administered by the Office of Child Care are divided into two purposes. The vast majority are aimed at assisting children of low-income working parents whose eligibility is determined by states within broad federal guidelines, while a much smaller portion (4%) work with state matching funds to improve the quality of child care for all children. For this studies series, four experiments were conducted, two test alternative subsidy policies for low-income families and two test approaches to the use of set-aside funds for improving child care quality for all children. The four study sites and focus of evaluation include: (1) effectiveness of three language and literacy curricula on teaching practices and children's language and literacy outcomes (Miami Dade County, Florida); (2) impact of alternative eligibility and re-determination child care subsidy policies on parental employment outcomes (Illinois); (3) impact of alternative child care co-payment structures on use of child care subsidies and employment outcomes (Washington) and (4) effectiveness of training on Learning Games curriculum in changing care-giving practices in family child care homes and children's developmental outcomes (Massachusetts). The Illinois site of the Evaluation of Child Care Subsidy Strategies was designed to test the impact of increased income eligibility and extended redetermination period on various child care and economic outcomes (such as type of care used, stability of child care arrangements, earnings, employment, etc.). Under the state's 2005 program rules, a family was eligible for subsidies if their income was below 50 percent of state median income (SMI) for their family size, and this eligibility was redetermined for most families every 6 months. In the evaluation, income eligibility was extended to 50 to 65 percent of state median income, and the redetermination period was extended from 6 to 12 months. To isolate the impact of each programmatic change, families who qualified for the study were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) a control group, (2) a 6-month redetermination program group, or (3) a 12-month redetermination program group. Families in the control group received no enhanced access to subsidies; families in the 6-month program group were eligible for subsidies as long as their income remained below 65 percent of SMI and had to reapply for subsidies every 6 months; and families in the 12-month redetermination program group were eligible for subsidies with income up to 65 percent of SMI and had to reapply for subsidies every 12 months. In the follow-up survey, respondents were asked a series of questions about the following topics: Child Care Arrangements; Child Care Reliability and Flexibility, Satisfaction with the Care, and Costs; Employment; Major Life Events; and Income. |
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