Evaluating the Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) Program: Educational Outcomes and Repeat Pregnancy Among Teenage Mothers

• In Event: Advancing Racial Equity in Health and Social Policy: Evidence from Programs, Providers, and Policy Design

Abstract

The Pregnancy Assistance Fund (PAF) supported expectant and parenting teenagers and young adults by aiming to sustain education, improve health, and expand economic opportunities. Utilizing county-level American Community Survey data and a staggered difference-in-differences design, we estimate intent-to-treat effects of the PAF on education, fertility, and labor market outcomes for women with a teenage first birth. PAF increased high school diploma attainment by 3.9-5.0 percentage points and completion of at least one year of college by 3.3-4.1 percentage points, while raising current postsecondary enrollment by 3.3-4.0 percentage points. Labor force participation rose by 2.4 percentage points. Results remain robust after accounting for contemporaneous Medicaid expansions. Effects are largest among non-White and Hispanic mothers, as well as in low-poverty counties. Overall, despite modest funding, we find evidence that PAF was effective in achieving its primary goals, underscoring the value of targeted policy efforts to support vulnerable populations during critical life transitions.

Authors

• Min Sun Park, Binghamton University (SUNY-Binghamton)
  Presenting Author

• Solomon W Polachek, Binghamton University (SUNY-Binghamton)
  Non-Presenting Co-Author