Patterns of Subsidized Child Care Stability for Children Experiencing Homelessness and Their Counterparts

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Policy, Inclusion and Accessibility for Vulnerable Children

Abstract

Access to and stability in subsidized child care are essential for low-income children’s development, especially within vulnerable populations. This study examines subsidized child care stability patterns, focusing on children experiencing homelessness. Using Child Care Development Fund administrative data from a Southern U.S. state, descriptive analyses, Kaplan-Meier, and Prentice-Williams-Peterson recurrent event survival analyses were employed. While initial descriptive analyses may suggest similar patterns, the recurrent event survival model revealed variations in stability based on a child’s homelessness status and provider type. Specifically, children experiencing homelessness experienced shorter, more frequent subsidy spells, and Family, Friend, and Neighbor care led to longer, fewer spells. These findings have implications for targeted interventions to improve subsidized child care stability for vulnerable populations.

Authors

• Kelvin T. Pompey, University of South Carolina

• Qinyan Shen, University of South Carolina

• Vasanthi Rao, University of South Carolina