Mapping Child Care Demand and the Supply of Care for ...

CHILDREN

RESEARCH REPORT

Mapping Child Care Demand and the Supply of Care for Subsidized Families

Illinois?New York Child Care Research Partnership

Heather Sandstrom

URBAN INSTITUTE

Erica Greenberg

URBAN INSTITUTE

Julia R. Henly

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

March 2018

Amy Claessens

UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

David Alexander

ILLINOIS ACTION FOR CHILDREN

Marcia Stoll

ILLINOIS ACTION FOR CHILDREN

Charmaine Runes

URBAN INSTITUTE

ABOUT THE URBAN INSTITUTE The nonprofit Urban Institute is a leading research organization dedicated to developing evidence-based insights that improve people's lives and strengthen communities. For 50 years, Urban has been the trusted source for rigorous analysis of complex social and economic issues; strategic advice to policymakers, philanthropists, and practitioners; and new, promising ideas that expand opportunities for all. Our work inspires effective decisions that advance fairness and enhance the well-being of people and places.

ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO One of the world's premier academic and research institutions, the University of Chicago has driven new ways of thinking since its 1890 founding. Today, UChicago draws scholars to its Hyde Park and international campuses, keeping UChicago at the nexus of ideas that challenge and change the world. The UChicago community includes students in the undergraduate College and in graduate programs across four divisions, six professional schools including the School of Social Service Administration and the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, and the Graham School of Continuing Liberal Arts and Professional Studies. With a commitment to free and open inquiry, UChicago scholars take an interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching. Their work generates new knowledge for the benefit of present and future generations and transforms the way we understand the world, advancing fields of study, and often creating new ones.

ABOUT ILLINOIS ACTION FOR CHILDREN As a state and national leader in the early care and education community, Illinois Action for Children stands distinguished by its "Strong Families, Powerful Communities" approach to child development, Pre-K and Head Start education, and other family and community supports. We believe that these supports work best to ensure school and life success when administered as part of a comprehensive system that includes parents and communities. This broad approach to supporting children by supporting families is a proven and effective means to address overarching issues of endemic poverty, which is the root cause of the educational failure of America's poorest children.

Copyright ? March 2018. Urban Institute. Permission is granted for reproduction of this file, with attribution to the Urban Institute.

Contents

Acknowledgments

v

Executive Summary

vii

Glossary

ix

Introduction

1

Methods

5

Estimating Counts of Subsidy-Eligible Children

5

Census Tract-Level Data from Public Use Data Tables

5

Public-Use Microdata for Individual-Level Analyses

6

Estimating the Times of Day when Subsidy-Eligible Children Need Care

6

Measuring and Mapping Child Care Supply

7

Estimates of Child Care Demand

9

Share of Child Population Potentially Needing Subsidized Care

9

Geographic Distribution of Demand by Study Site

9

Understanding Demand: Low-Income Parents' Work Schedules and Related Child Care Needs

by Study Site

15

Characteristics of Local Child Care Markets

20

Total Numbers of Providers by Care Type

24

Subsidy Participation

25

Provider Quality

26

Providers' Schedules by Care Type

27

Geographic Distribution of Full-Time Providers

31

A Closer Look at Full-Time, Subsidized Care Options: Provider Characteristics

and Geographic Distribution

36

Characteristics of Full-Time Providers that Participate in the Subsidy Program

36

Geographic Distribution of Full-Time Providers that Accept Subsidies

40

Locating Subsidized Infant Care

46

Locating High-Quality Subsidized Care

51

Role of Legally Exempt Home-Based Providers

56

Assessment of Unmet Need

58

Summary of Findings

67

Appendix A. Supplemental Maps and Figures

69

Appendix B. Supplemental Tables

81

Notes

87

References

88

About the Authors

89

Statement of Independence

91

Acknowledgments

This report is based on the Illinois?New York Child Care Research Partnership Study made possible by Grant No. 90YE0151 from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration for Children and Families, US Department of Health and Human Services. We are grateful to them and to all our funders, who make it possible for Urban to advance its mission.

The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, its funders, or to the University of Chicago or our partnering organizations. Funders do not determine research findings or the insights and recommendations of Urban experts. Further information on the Urban Institute's funding principles is available at fundingprinciples.

The principal investigator for the Illinois?New York Child Care Research Partnership Study is Julia Henly from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration. Coprincipal investigators are Amy Claessens from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and Heather Sandstrom from the Urban Institute. David Alexander and Marcia Stoll are researchers at our local partner organization, Illinois Action for Children.

The project was supported by an excellent team of analysts and research assistants. We thank Lina Breslav, Molly Michie, and Teresa Derrick-Mills from the Urban Institute for their contributions to the study.

The study would not have been possible without the endless support of our state and local partners, including the Children's Home + Aid Society Southern Region, Illinois Action for Children, the Illinois Department of Human Services, New York State Office of Children and Family Services, the Westchester County Department of Social Services and Nassau County Department of Social Services, the Child Care Council of Westchester, and the Child Care Council of Nassau. We are especially grateful for the data we received from the Illinois Network of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies and the support of Joellyn Whitehead.

We also thank Erin Hardy for her review of this paper and excellent feedback and our external research advisors, Elizabeth Davis and Roberta Weber, for their review of preliminary findings and ongoing support of the project.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

V

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