CHILD CARE SUBSIDIES AND THE LONG TERM ACHIEVEMENT OF LOW-INCOME CHILDREN

Chapin Hall Center For Children, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

This study will examine the enrollment of children in CCDF subsidized providers during early childhood and the effects of these enrolments on the school achievement outcomes of children in grades third to eight. The needs that will be addressed in the proposed project include, first, exploring how, when, where and what factors systematically influence whether low-income households enroll their children in early care and education providers receiving CCDF-funding. Second, it studies how those enrollment choices are causally related to the achievement test scores in math and reading during grades third to eighth. Findings from this research will characterize the experiences of those low-income children as the result of their exposure to child care receiving CCDF subsidies, examining what factors affect their parents' choices of child care subsidies at different levels of analysis (neighborhood, household, parental, children characteristics) and evaluating the effects of children exposure to ECE providers receiving CCDF subsidies on school achievement outcomes. The project contextualizes in a strong partnership with federal, state and city agencies implementing and administering CCDF programs in Illinois and the city of Chicago. This collaboration led to the development of the study research questions. The findings of this research will further the state and national understanding of the efficacy of child care subsidy policies and their impact.