Facts In Action

Welfare reform, through work requirements and time limits on cash assistance, has brought many women into the workforce who then had to make new arrangements for child care. A recent study examined eight different welfare and employment programs in five states to determine their effect on the types of child care young mothers used when entering the workforce.

The study found that the four welfare and employment programs that increased the mothers' employment or participation in education or training activities increased young mothers use of formal child care, such as center-based and Head Start, but did not seem to have an effect on the use of home-based child care. Researchers also looked at how young mothers' used center-based care versus Head Start and found a very interesting pattern. The mothers in programs that required them to work or participate in employment-related activities used center-based care more and used Head Start less. It seems that when these mothers transitioned from welfare to work, they changed from Head Start to center-based care.

This may be an important signal that policy makers should consider increasing funding to make Head Start a full-day program. In addition it may suggest to program directors the need to add services during the hours when Head Start is not operating. Overall, the study highlights the need for quality care throughout the workday, especially as low-income mothers enter the workforce.

Source: The Effects of Welfare and Employment Policies on Child Care Use by Low-Income Young Mothers, A. Gassman-Pines, MDRC Next Generation Working Paper No. 19, June, 2003.

Facts in Action, July/August 2003