Expanding Access to Nontraditional-Hour Child Care: Lessons from Georgia’s EXPAND Grant Program

• In Event: Searching and Finding Child Care to Meet Nontraditional Hour Care Needs and Preferences

Abstract

Introduction
A substantial share of Georgia’s workforce is employed in jobs requiring evening, early morning, overnight, or weekend hours. Parents working nontraditional schedules often struggle to secure safe, reliable child care during these hours, leading to unstable arrangements that affect both family well-being and workforce participation. Despite this need, the availability of licensed nontraditional-hour child care remains limited. To address this gap, the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) piloted the Expanding Parents’ Access to Nontraditional Delivery (EXPAND) grant program, awarding grants to seven child care providers and six nonprofit and government organizations to expand child care access outside traditional operating hours. DECAL funded an evaluation of the grants conducted by researchers with the University of Georgia’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government (CVIOG). This abstract draws from the evaluation report written by CVIOG.

Purpose
This evaluation examined how the EXPAND grant program was implemented by licensed child care providers and nonprofit and government organizations and how those approaches affected access to nontraditional-hour child care. Specifically, the evaluation examined strategies used to expand hours of care, barriers and facilitators influencing family enrollment, and challenges related to staffing, financing, and sustainability. Findings were intended to inform future policy and program design aimed at expanding access to child care during nontraditional hours.

Data
The evaluation draws on mixed-methods data collected between 2023 and 2025, including monthly grantee progress reports, detailed financial expenditure data, grantee focus groups and exit interviews, family intake forms (n=132 families representing 209 children), and a family needs survey (n=69 respondents).

Research Design and Methods
A mixed-methods evaluation design was used, drawing on data from both grantees and families served through the EXPAND initiative. Grantee data included progress reports, financial records, focus groups, and interviews documenting implementation strategies, operational challenges, and sustainability considerations. Family data were collected through intake forms and a family needs survey capturing caregivers’ work schedules, prior child care arrangements, affordability constraints, preferences, and perceived benefits of nontraditional-hour care. Quantitative data were used to examine enrollment patterns, expenditures, and family characteristics, while qualitative data were analyzed thematically to identify common experiences and challenges.

Findings
All thirteen grantees successfully offered nontraditional-hour child care, primarily during evening and early morning hours. However, increased availability did not consistently translate into high enrollment, particularly in the short term. Families were often reluctant to disrupt existing care arrangements for a time-limited program, especially given unpredictable work schedules and affordability constraints. Demand for EXPAND-supported care was concentrated among lower-income families, many employed in the service sector. Staffing challenges, regulatory complexity, and the brief grant duration constrained scalability and sustainability. Families who accessed care reported reduced stress, improved job stability, and high levels of trust in licensed providers.

Conclusion
Findings highlight that nontraditional-hour child care is both valued and necessary, but difficult to sustain without longer funding horizons, tuition assistance, and flexible program design. The EXPAND initiative demonstrates that targeted investment can expand access to nontraditional-hour care, but lasting impact requires stronger alignment between family needs, provider capacity, and policy design.

Authors

• Shayna Funke, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
  Presenting Author

• Jill Stelynn Taylor, Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
  Non-Presenting Co-Author