Universal Child Care and Long-Term Effects on Child Well-Being: Evidence from Canada

Abstract

We evaluate the long-term effects of the Canadian province of Quebec’s $5 per day universal child care policy on child and youth well-being (health, behavior, motor and social development). Treated children are followed for more than 19 years. Estimates based on a nonexperimental evaluation framework show that the negative effects on preschoolers documented in previous studies persist over time for most outcomes. Once children enter school, only the impact on emotional disorder and anxiety persists, but the magnitude is smaller than for preschool children. For teens aged 12–19 years old, our estimates do not suggest that the effects persist.