Latine Families’ ECE Access During Covid-19: Californian Subsidy Staff Perspectives on Disruptions, Adaptations and Recommendations

• In Event: Promoting Access to Social Supports and Resources Throughout COVID-19 for Latine Families with Young Children

Abstract

The Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) is a federal policy aimed at providing financial support to low-income families to make early care and education (ECE) more affordable. This key federal investment is intended to support family economic well-being by facilitating parents’ ability to work and support children’s learning and development by making higher-quality ECE settings more accessible. However, the decentralized nature of CCDF implementation through state and local agencies creates system-level variation in families' access to these funds (Hill et al., 2019; Office of Child Care, 2021). This study examines Californian subsidy staff perspectives on adaptations to services that were made during COVID-19, and how these changes may have impacted Latine families. CA is home to the largest population of Latine children in low-income households (Chen & Guzman, 2021; Schumacher, 2017). Prior research suggests this population is less likely to utilize forms of public assistance and is underrepresented among CCDF subsidy recipients in many state contexts (Hill et al., 2019; Williams et al., 2013). Additionally, CA’s subsidy system is complex due to its size, and because it combines multiple funding sources and programs to promote child care access.

To better understand how Latine families access child care subsidies in CA, an online survey was distributed among county-level subsidy staff during Summer 2022 which focused on Latine families, but was also aimed at agency-wide implications and changes. This study investigates two aims within a sample of 178 CA CCDF subsidy staff representing 40 counties: (1) to consider how the impact of COVID-19 prompted change in how Latine families’ access subsidies; and, (2) to identify aspects of CCDF and staff practices that can better facilitate Latine families’ subsidy access.

Table 1 reports characteristics of CA subsidy staff that participated in this survey. Notably, staff were predominantly in supervisor roles, very experienced, and possessed significant language and cultural capacity for serving Latine families. Data collection is complete, and analyses are underway to examine closed- and open-ended response data addressing the study aims. Through thematic analysis, subsidy staff’s open-ended responses will be qualitatively coded. To address Aim 1, we examine survey responses around how agency services were adapted in response to the pandemic, and how these changes impacted ECE and subsidy access for Latine families with young children (Figure 1). To address Aim 2, qualitative analyses are underway to examine subsidy staff perspectives about factors that facilitate service delivery of CCDF among Latine families, and their recommendations about practices to improve the accessibility of this resource and other social services. CCDF subsidies are intended to create more equitable access to educational opportunities for children in communities marginalized by systemic racism, classism, and xenophobia, particularly among the Latine population. To maximize the potential of this program, families need service outreach and delivery that is effective and equitable. Study findings will be discussed in terms of identifying policy implementation practices that can facilitate CCDF access and support (Latine) child and family well-being as communities and states continue to navigate the pandemic-impacted landscape.

Authors

• Christina M Stephens, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Presenting Author

• Ireti Aderayo Adegbesan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro

• Danielle A Crosby, University of North Carolina at Greensboro