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Arranging child care
1Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., Princeton, NJ, USA.
The Future of Children
|April 1, 1997
Summary
Child care challenges like cost, availability, and quality prevent welfare-supported mothers from working. Increased subsidies and supply of suitable child care are crucial for parental employment and child well-being.
Area of Science:
- Social Policy
- Child Development
- Labor Economics
Background:
- A significant portion of children in welfare-supported families are young (under six) or school-aged.
- Mothers on welfare require accessible and affordable child care to transition to employment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the barriers to child care for families transitioning from welfare.
- To identify policy recommendations for improving child care access and quality for low-income working families.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing evidence on child care affordability, availability, and quality.
- Analysis of the impact of child care issues on parental labor force participation and job training.
Main Results:
- Child care affordability, availability (especially for infants, toddlers, non-standard hours, and in poor neighborhoods), and quality are significant impediments.
- While child care subsidies help, demand exceeds funding, hindering parents' employment and training.
Conclusions:
- Policymakers must facilitate access to subsidies and increase the supply of appropriate child care.
- Ensuring high-quality care is essential to support both children's well-being and parents' sustained employment.