Child care subsidies and the employment of welfare recipients

Expensive Childcare and Short School Days = Lower Maternal Employment and More Time in Childcare? Evidence from the American Time Use Survey

This study investigates the relationship between maternal employment and state-to-state differences in childcare cost and mean school day length. Pairing state-level measures with an individual-level sample of prime working-age mothers from the American Time Use Survey (2005-2014; n = 37,993), we assess the multilevel and time-varying effects of childcare costs and school day length on maternal full-time and part-time employment and childcare time. We find mothers' odds of full-time employment are lower and part-time employment higher in states with expensive childcare and shorter school days. Mothers spend more time caring for children in states where childcare is more expensive and as childcare costs increase. Our results suggest that expensive childcare and short school days are important barriers to maternal employment and, for childcare costs, result in greater investments in childcare time. Politicians engaged in national debates about federal childcare policies should look to existing state childcare structures for policy guidance.

Shelter Environment and Placement in Community Affects Lifestyle Factors among Homeless Families in Minnesota

Purpose

To investigate the impact of the shelter environment and surrounding community on lifestyle factors influencing the health of homeless families.

Design and Setting

Seven focus groups were conducted at two homeless shelters serving families in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Food resources and food prices at convenience stores were recorded within a five-block radius of shelters.

Subjects

Low-income parents of children aged 3–12 years (n = 53).

Measures

Focus groups were transcribed verbatim, evaluated for common themes, coded, and reevaluated for consistency. Food resources were mapped via GIS software, and recorded food prices were compared to available TFP market basket prices.

Analysis Results

The shelter environment and surrounding community influenced lifestyle factors related to health, including food access and availability, exercise behaviors, job access, and day care issues. Participants commented that location of grocery stores, inflated prices, and poor food quality and variety limited their families’ food choice and access. Walking was the main form of exercise and served as a means of transportation. Finding employment, housing, and affordable day care caused high levels of stress because of inadequate social support and government subsidies.

Conclusions

Several strategies should be considered to modify environments affecting lifestyle factors among homeless families, including greater affordability and access of food, reevaluation of food stamp allotments, alterations in urban planning designs, and increased access to affordable day care.

Motherhood, labor force behavior, and women's careers: an empirical assessment of the wage penalty for motherhood in Britain, Germany, and the United States

Using harmonized longitudinal data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS), the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP), and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), we trace career prospects after motherhood for five cohorts of American, British, and West German women around the 1960s. We establish wage penalties for motherhood between 9% and 18% per child, with wage losses among American and British mothers being lower than those experienced by mothers in Germany. Labor market mechanisms generating the observed wage penalty for motherhood differ markedly across countries, however. For British and American women, work interruptions and subsequent mobility into mother-friendly jobs fully account for mothers' wage losses. In contrast, respective penalties are considerably smaller in Germany, yet we observe a substantial residual wage penalty that is unaccounted for by mothers' observable labor market behavior. We interpret this finding as indicating a comparatively more pronounced role for statistical discrimination against mothers in the German labor market.

Work-Family Context and the Longevity Disadvantage of US Women

Female life expectancy is currently shorter in the United States than in most high-income countries. This study examines work-family context as a potential explanation. While work-family context changed similarly across high-income countries during the past half century, the United States has not implemented institutional supports, such as universally available childcare and family leave, to help Americans contend with these changes. We compare the United States to Finland-a country with similar trends in work-family life but generous institutional supports-and test two hypotheses to explain US women's longevity disadvantage: (1) US women may be less likely than Finnish women to combine employment with childrearing; and (2) US women's longevity may benefit less than Finnish women's longevity from combining employment with childrearing. We used data from women aged 30-60 years during 1988-2006 in the US National Health Interview Survey Linked Mortality File and harmonized it with data from Finnish national registers. We found stronger support for hypothesis 1, especially among low-educated women. Contrary to hypothesis 2, combining employment and childrearing was not less beneficial for US women's longevity. In a simulation exercise, more than 75 percent of US women's longevity disadvantage was eliminated by raising their employment levels to Finnish levels and reducing mortality rates of non-married/non-employed US women to Finnish rates.

The influence of maternal health literacy and child's age on participation in social welfare programs

The objective of this study is to determine the influence of maternal health literacy and child's age on participation in social welfare programs benefiting children. In a longitudinal prospective cohort study of 560 Medicaid-eligible mother-infant dyads recruited in Philadelphia, maternal health literacy was assessed using the test of functional health literacy in adults (short version). Participation in social welfare programs [Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), child care subsidy, and public housing] was self-reported at child's birth, and at the 6, 12, 18, 24 month follow-up interviews. Generalized estimating equations quantified the strength of maternal health literacy as an estimator of program participation. The mothers were primarily African-Americans (83%), single (87%), with multiple children (62%). Nearly 24% of the mothers had inadequate or marginal health literacy. Children whose mothers had inadequate health literacy were less likely to receive child care subsidy (adjusted OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.34-0.85) than children whose mothers had adequate health literacy. Health literacy was not a significant predictor for TANF, SNAP, WIC or housing assistance. The predicted probability for participation in all programs decreased from birth to 24 months. Most notably, predicted WIC participation declined rapidly after age one. During the first 24 months, mothers with inadequate health literacy could benefit from simplified or facilitated child care subsidy application processes. Targeted outreach and enrollment efforts conducted by social welfare programs need to take into account the changing needs of families as children age.

Assessing policy effects on enrollment in early childhood education and care

Although the number of children enrolled in early childhood education and care has risen dramatically over past decades, low-income children are less likely than their more affluent counterparts to participate. Public funding for early education can play an important role in increasing enrollment levels among low-income children. This study utilizes National Household Education Survey data for a 14-year period to examine the effects of public funding on the enrollment of low-income children in early childhood education and care. It also considers the effects of funding on the type of care they use. Results suggest that public funding, particularly child-care subsidies and prekindergarten funding, increases the likelihood that low-income children, even those under 3 years of age, will attend nonparental care, including center-based care. These findings indicate that public funding can help close the gap in enrollment between low- and higher-income children.

Difficulties experienced by families with disabled children

PURPOSE

This study was designed to determine the difficulties experienced by families with disabled children.

DESIGN AND METHOD

This descriptive research study was carried out in one public and two private rehabilitation centers. A questionnaire was used for data collection.

RESULTS

Families did not have enough knowledge about their child's condition. Mothers felt severe sadness, and they indicated that after having a disabled child, their social life, working life, and family relationships were all affected. Families also have financial problems.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Parents with a disabled child need support from professionals. Nurses have a vital role in providing support for these families.