"Child care subsidies make quality child care more affordable, support the healthy development of children, and help low-income parents access the child care they need to go to work or to school to support their families." -CLASP, partner to Birth to Five Policy Alliance

Read below for a brief summary of key research findings related to child care subsidies.

• Child care subsidies support parental earnings and employment. Subsidies for child care have been shown to help low-income parents find employment and stay employed. These findings are strongest for the most disadvantaged families. Subsidy receipt also may reduce job-related disruptions due to child care problems.[3],[4] One study estimated that subsidy receipt increased the likelihood of parental employment by between 13 to 33 percentage points.[1]
• Compared to eligible non-recipients, subsidy recipients are more likely to choose center-based care than non-recipients.[6] Children in center-based care have exhibited more positive cognitive outcomes at 4.5 years of age (e.g., higher levels of pre-academic skills and language skills) than children receiving other types of non-parental care.[5]
• Children receiving subsidies for child care (compared to children on waitlists to receive subsidies) were likely to have more stable care, and to have mothers who were more satisfied with their child care arrangement.[2]

References

1. Blau, D., & Tekin, E. (2007). The determinants and consequences of child care subsidies for single mothers in the USA. Journal of Population Economics, 20(4), 719-741.
2. Brooks, F. (2002). Impacts of child care subsidies on family and child well-being. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 17(4), 498.
3. Daily, S., Halle, T., Forry, N., Johnson, A., Schilder, D., Starr, R., Tout, K., Rothenberg, L., Zaslow, M. (2011). Updated Review and Synthesis of Selected Research Reports. Washington, DC: Child Trends.
4. Michalopoulos, C., Lundquist, E., & Castells, N. (2010). ACF-OPRE Report. The effects of child care subsidies for moderate-income families in Cook county, Illinois.: Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC.
5. NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2002). Early child care and children’s development prior to school entry: Results from the NICHD study of early child care. American Educational Research Journal, 39(9), 133-164.
6. Ryan, R. M., Johnson, A., Rigby, E., & Brooks-Gunn, J. The Impact of Child Care Subsidy Use on Child Care Quality. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(3), 320-331.