Child‐Care Subsidies: Do They Impact the Quality of Care Children Experience?

Johnson, Anna D.; Ryan, Rebecca M.; Brooks‐Gunn, Jeanne

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.1780.x

Cited by 77 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Subsidies also represent added household income, which not only reduces parents' stress but also allows them to purchase materials and activities that promote school readiness (e.g., Conger, Conger, & Elder, ; Dearing & Taylor, ; Gershoff, Aber, Raver, & Lennon, ). However, a recent study comparing subsidy recipients to eligible nonrecipients found that subsidies were associated with higher quality child care in only a select portion of the population (Johnson, Ryan, & Brooks‐Gunn, ). Moreover, to the extent that subsidies increase child‐care quality, they may not yield enough of an increase to contribute to children's school readiness.…”

Section: Possible Links Between Child‐care Subsidies and Later Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, the subsidy‐eligible population disproportionately represents single mothers (Herbst, ), whose children are more likely to experience multiple, simultaneous child‐care arrangements (Morrissey, ). Thus, even if subsidy recipients experience higher quality of care than nonrecipients in unsubsidized care (Johnson et al., ), they may do so for only a short time, or have additional child‐care arrangements that are low quality.…”

Section: Possible Links Between Child‐care Subsidies and Later Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Child‐Care Subsidies and School Readiness in Kindergarten

2013

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The federal child care subsidy program represents one of the government’s largest investments in early care and education. Using data from the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study – Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), this paper examines associations, among subsidy-eligible families, between child care subsidy receipt when children are 4 years old and a range of school readiness outcomes in kindergarten (sample n ≈ 1,400). Findings suggest that subsidy receipt in preschool is not directly linked to subsequent reading or social-emotional skills. However, subsidy receipt predicted lower math scores among children attending community-based centers. Supplementary analyses revealed that subsidies predicted greater use of center care, but this association did not appear to affect school readiness.

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Section: Possible Links Between Child‐care Subsidies and Later Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Possible Links Between Child‐care Subsidies and Later Schoolmentioning

confidence: 99%

Child‐Care Subsidies and School Readiness in Kindergarten

2013

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“…Parents who received subsidies enrolled their 3‐year‐olds in higher quality care than nonrecipients who were eligible for subsidies and matched on propensity scores, a finding driven by increased use of center‐based care among subsidy recipients. Nationally representative studies of toddlers and preschoolers replicated these methods and results. In the latter study, a more nuanced pattern of results emerged because the comparison group for preschool‐aged children whose parents received subsidies expanded to include low‐income children in Head Start and public pre‐k (who themselves may have received subsidies at an earlier age; ).…”

Section: Child‐care Subsidies and Child‐care Qualitymentioning

confidence: 64%

The Role of Child‐Care Subsidies in the Lives of Low‐Income Children

Johnson

Ryan

2015

Child Dev Perspectives

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In the United States, federally funded child‐care subsidies offer a unique opportunity to influence low‐income children's early education and, in so doing, affect their development. To understand the role of child‐care subsidies in children's lives, we must answer the following questions about their impact: How does receiving subsidies affect (a) the type of care children receive, (b) the quality of care children receive, and (c) their developmental outcomes? Theoretically, the answers to these questions should cohere, yet they do not; though subsidies increase exposure to the type and quality of care known to predict more optimal outcomes for children, the direct effect of subsidies on outcomes has been null or negative. In this article, we review research on child‐care subsidies to describe its inconsistencies and offer explanations, a timely endeavor in light of the 2014 reauthorization of legislation on child‐care subsidies.

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“…Those who prioritized having a caregiver who would speak English with the child were more likely to select Head Start or public pre-k compared to unsubsidized ECE. It is not surprising that low-income families who prioritize school readiness are more likely to choose Head Start settings, given prior research showing that, compared to other types of settings used by low-income families, Head Start settings tend to score higher when it comes to developmental quality of care provided (Johnson, Ryan, & Brooks-Gunn, 2012). Perhaps mothers with these preferences who chose subsidized or unsubsidized ECE did so because they believed these programs offered similar benefits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of public early care and education use among children of low-income immigrants

Johnson

Padilla

Votruba‐Drzal

2017

Children and Youth Services Review

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Little is known about predictors of publicly funded early care and education (ECE) use among low-income children of immigrants. Without this knowledge, it is difficult to effectively increase participation in these public programs, which promote school readiness but are underused by children of immigrants. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study -Birth Cohort (ECLS-B), this study attempts to identify pertinent family, child, maternal ECE preference, broader contextual, and immigrant specific characteristics predictive of ECE use among 4-year old children in a sample of low-income children of immigrants (N ≈ 1,050). Specifically, we estimate multinomial logistic regression models predicting type of ECE (Head Start, public pre-k, subsidized ECE, unsubsidized ECE, parental care) from these characteristics. Findings suggest that even in a low-income sample, correlates of disadvantage such as low maternal education and prior receipt of public benefits are important predictors of public ECE use, as are maternal preferences for certain features of care and supply-side factors such as ECE availability. Immigrant-specific factors such as English proficiency, citizenship status, availability of non-English speaking caregivers, and generosity of state policies toward immigrants emerged as particularly salient for explaining the public ECE selection patterns of low-income immigrants. Results point to future research areas and potential policy solutions aimed at increasing public ECE use for children who may stand to benefit the most.

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Child‐Care Subsidies: Do They Impact the Quality of Care Children Experience?

Cited by 77 publications

References 50 publications

Child‐Care Subsidies and School Readiness in Kindergarten

Child‐Care Subsidies and School Readiness in Kindergarten

The Role of Child‐Care Subsidies in the Lives of Low‐Income Children

Predictors of public early care and education use among children of low-income immigrants

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