EVALUATING CHILD CARE REFORMS IN ILLINOIS

Illinois Dept Of Human Services, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act of 2014 incorporated several statutory changes intended to promote child well-being. One of those changes, a longer redetermination period, was intended to lead to longer program participation spells, more stable usage of high quality childcare arrangements, and more stable parental employment spells. Identifying the actual effects of the new redetermination policy is a priority for the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) and its partner agencies. With funding from this planning grant, IDHS will build on its existing partnership with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago to develop a comprehensive research and evaluation agenda to answer whether and how extending the CCDF redetermination period from six months (three months if self-employed) to twelve months will affect broad outcomes in three domains: 1) parental employment; 2) continuity of care, and; 3) access to childcare quality. Funding from this planning grant will be used to design a comprehensive, well defined, and achievable research plan to answer those questions. The plan will draw on the Illinois Early Learning Council's research agenda and will incorporate feedback from Illinois program and policy experts in the ECE field as well as technical research experts. This process will ensure that grant activities are informed by a diversity of critical stakeholders both within DHS and in partner organizations so that deliverables and products are methodologically rigorous, optimally policy­ relevant and can provide actionable policy recommendations that reflect the realities of Illinois' complex early learning and development system. IDHS will leverage resources and deliverables from this planning grant to enhance its own internal capacity to manage and conduct CCDF research and evaluation. Four main outcomes are expected under this grant: 1) A literature review; 2) An inventory of data sources; 3) Creation of a research advisory committee, and 4) Development and validation of an evaluation research proposal. These components of the planning strategy will provide IDHS with a clear, high­ quality, and actionable research plan to evaluate the impacts of the new redetermination policy on Illinois children and families participating in the CCAP program.