About this session

Friday, 1:20 PM - 2:50 PM

Investigating Multiple Dimensions of Child Care Access for Subsidy-Eligible Families: Results from Three States

Despite the critical role of non-parental child care on children’s development and families’ well-being, affordable, high-quality care remains limited in the United States (Banghart et al., 2021). The Child Care and Development Block Grant seeks to address these limitations by subsidizing care for eligible families. While child care subsidies are known to support parental employment and access to higher-quality care (Ha & Miller, 2015; Ryan et al., 2011), concerns remain about low subsidy uptake among eligible families and their access to care that meets their needs. States have implemented various strategies to improve access, yet gaps persist in understanding eligibility, supply, demand, and utilization of subsidized care, as well as the experience of families and providers navigating the subsidy systems.

This symposium addresses these gaps using diverse family and provider samples from three state policy contexts. Paper 1 draws on Virginia administrative data and survey data to compare traditional and innovative methods for measuring child care access, focusing on availability, subsidy acceptance and care quality among providers near low-income families. Paper 2 examines the patterns of subsidized child care eligibility, demand, and utilization in Massachusetts, highlighting regional variations and the (mis)match of the supply and demand, as well as demographic and economic factors contributing to disparities. Paper 3 uses a mixed-methods approach to examine changes in care supply and subsidy uptake following New Mexico’s policy changes that increased income eligibility and provider reimbursement rates.

Paper #1
Title	Access to Child Care in Virginia: The Importance of Accounting for Affordability, Openings, and Quality
Presenting author	Deiby Mayaris Cubides Mateus, Ph.D., University of Virginia, United States

Paper #2
Title	Estimating Subsidized Child Care Eligibility, Demand, and Utilization in Massachusetts
Presenting author	Yoonsook Ha, Ph.D., Boston University, United States

Paper #3
Title	Preliminary Results from Childcare Expansion Policies in New Mexico: Perspectives from Families and Providers
Presenting author	Mrs. Mary Nava, University of New Mexico, United States

View all paper details

Session chair
Anna Markowitz, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, United States

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