EVALUATION OF THE CHILD CARE VOUCHER ELIGIBILITY REASSESSMENT POLICY CHANGE IN MASSACHUSETTS

Brandeis University, Waltham MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project presents a rigorous evaluation of administrative changes in Massachusetts designed to make the process of accessing and maintaining child care subsidies more family-friendly. Through a collaborative research partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education & Care (EEC), the project will use mixed methods to evaluate recent administrative changes that transitioned the local and responsibilities for child care voucher eligibility reassessment from seven regional Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&Rs) to contracted child care providers. The study is designed to: (1) evaluate the impacts of the changes on key policy outcomes, including stability of subsidy receipt and continuity of care; (2) identify the specific mechanisms producing these effects; (3) document implementation and fidelity to the new administrative process from the perspective of four affected groups (EEC, CCR&Rs, providers and parents); and (4) examine effects on providers and families, with a focus on providers in low resource areas and families who traditionally under-participate in public programs.