When families eligible for child care subsidies don't have one: A case study

Excerpts from the executive summary:

For families of young children, the questions about child care are paramount. Most any gather-ing of parents with young children naturally turns to the topic of child care - how to find it, pay for it and be sure it is of high quality. Now the topic has taken on more urgency for low-income families, as the city continues to reduce child care subsidies.

This case study included interviews with 83 families, randomly selected from families who con-tacted CCI for assistance with child care, who were eligible for a child care subsidy but unable to obtain one. Among the major findings:

• Parents were forced to cut back on their hours, turn down promotions, training opportuni-ties or even quit work altogether.
• About a quarter of the interviewees were unemployed and cited child care as the primary reason.
• Nearly half the respondents - 40 - rely on relatives for care. For some, this is the best of all possible worlds. Yet the interviews revealed that turning to relatives is often a matter of economic necessity, and often creates additional burdens for low-income families and neighborhoods.
• Several reported that they had been advised by the city's 311 information service or by the Administration for Children's Services that applying for public assistance was the surest route to a subsidy - perhaps even the only route to securing a child care subsidy. Many had already been on public assistance and did not wish to reapply. Some even described it as an almost Alice-in-Wonderland experience. "It seems like you can only get help if you declare poverty and go on welfare. I don't want to do that as a single mom," said one.
• Parents are increasingly aware of the growing body of research that shows quality care helps prepare children for success in school and be-yond, and they are vocal that policymakers should do more to help fami-lies with the cost of care. "Maximum education," is what one parent says she wants for her baby. Several others expressed frustration that only families earning "six figures" have access to quality care.