abstract: 'To examine whether state child care subsidy policies can combine goals

  of increasing maternal employment and increasing access to quality child

  care for children in low-income families, we studied one state''s

  comprehensive policy, through a cross-sectional survey of 665 randomly

  selected families using centers, Head Starts, family child care homes,

  public school preschools or informal care, including a sample of

  families on the waitlist for child care subsidies. We found that, in

  Massachusetts, families receiving child care subsidies report greater

  access to child care, more affordable child care, and higher quality

  child care, than do similar families not receiving subsidies.

  Lower-income families not receiving subsidies can sometimes access

  affordable, quality child care through Head Start programs and public

  preschools, but, when they have to pay for care, they pay a

  significantly greater proportion of their income than do families

  receiving subsidies. We also found that families on the subsidy waitlist

  are at a particular disadvantage. Waitlist families have the greatest

  difficulty paying for care, the least access, and the poorest quality

  child care. While the child care subsidy policies benefited those

  families receiving subsidies, families outside the system still

  struggled to find and afford child care. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All

  rights reserved.'
affiliation: 'Marshall, NL (Corresponding Author), Wellesley Coll, Wellesley Ctr Women,
  Wellesley, MA 02481 USA.

  Marshall, Nancy L.; Robeson, Wendy Wagner; Tracy, Allison J.; Frye, Alice; Roberts,
  Joanne, Wellesley Coll, Wellesley Ctr Women, Wellesley, MA 02481 USA.'
author: Marshall, Nancy L. and Robeson, Wendy Wagner and Tracy, Allison J. and Frye,
  Alice and Roberts, Joanne
author-email: nmarshall@wellesley.edu
author_list:
- family: Marshall
  given: Nancy L.
- family: Robeson
  given: Wendy Wagner
- family: Tracy
  given: Allison J.
- family: Frye
  given: Alice
- family: Roberts
  given: Joanne
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1016/j.ecresq.2013.07.008
eissn: 1873-7706
files: []
issn: 0885-2006
journal: EARLY CHILDHOOD RESEARCH QUARTERLY
keywords: Child care; Child care subsidies; Work support
keywords-plus: LOW-INCOME; OF-CARE; POLICY; WORK; FAMILY; EDUCATION; WELFARE; MOTHERS
language: English
month: DEC
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '61'
orcid-numbers: Marshall, Nancy L/0000-0002-4799-2030
pages: 808-819
papis_id: 9382769ffa8a91717ab956d7fcdd454f
ref: Marshall2013subsidizedchild
researcherid-numbers: 'Marshall, Nancy L/C-3428-2012

  '
times-cited: '16'
title: Subsidized child care, maternal employment and access to quality, affordable
  child care
type: article
unique-id: WOS:000326485500015
usage-count-last-180-days: '2'
usage-count-since-2013: '59'
volume: '28'
web-of-science-categories: Education \& Educational Research; Psychology, Developmental
year: '2013'