The grant team will investigate whether Smart Start Grants, the Smart Start Quality Support Program, and the restructured copayment rate can improve subsidized and subsidy-eligible families’ access to high-quality child care. The research questions for this project include: 1. What factors shape the design and rollout of the new provider payment mechanisms? How do equity goals manifest in their design and implementation? 2. What do providers understand about the new provider payment mechanisms and restructured copayment rate, and how does their understanding affect the likelihood of participation in the subsidy program? 3. Does participation in the new payment mechanisms change provider experiences? 4. Does participation in the new payment mechanisms and restructured copayment rate result in expected outputs related to workforce compensation, staffing, quality supports, revenue stabilization, and copayment reductions? 5. Does participation in the new payment mechanisms and restructured copayment rate lead to expected short-term outcomes related to increased supply, quality, and morale, and to lower costs for parents? 6. Has families’ access to child care improved with the implementation of the new provider payment mechanisms and restructured copayment rate? 7. What are the unintended consequences (if any) of participating in the new provider payment mechanisms and restructured copayment rate? 8. What are the equity implications of each research question? Are there differential experiences and effects of the new provider payment mechanisms and restructured copayment rates for diverse provider and family populations of interest? (author abstract)