Child Care after Leaving Welfare: Early Evidence from State Studies.

Abstract

This report presents key findings from a review of data focusing on child care arrangements among people who have left welfare. Most states have conducted studies of former welfare recipients using administrative data, surveys of welfare leavers, or a combination of the two. Data from these surveys indicate that most people who have left welfare are working, and typically in jobs with wages below the poverty line. Less than 50 percent of welfare leavers who are working receive child care subsidies, even though a significant number of families who leave welfare need the assistance. About 40 percent of responding families do not know of the availability of child care subsidies. Most welfare leavers report relying on friends or relatives for child care arrangements, while those who do use the subsidies tend to rely on child care centers. Lack of child care is constantly identified as one reason for non-employment among welfare leavers, but it is typically not the most common reason. An appendix presents a description of the reviewed studies of families who have left welfare. (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.