Child Care and the Welfare to Work Transition

42 Pages Posted: 5 May 2000 Last revised: 22 Sep 2022

See all articles by Robert J. Lemke

Robert J. Lemke

Lake Forest College - Department of Economics

Ann Dryden Witte

Wellesley College - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Magaly Queralt

Wellesley Child Care Research Partnership

Robert Witt

University of Surrey

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: March 2000

Abstract

We assess the role of child care in the welfare to work transition using an unusually large and comprehensive data base. Our data are for Massachusetts, a state that began welfare reform in 1995 under a federal waiver, for the period July 1996 through August 1997. We find that both the nature of the child care market and the availability of subsidized care and early education affect the probability that current and former welfare recipients will work. Regarding the child care market, we find that the cost, stability and quality of care matter. We also find that child care subsidies and some types of early education serve to increase employment. To be more specific, we find that increased funding for child care subsidies and the availability of full day kindergarten significantly increase the probability the current and former welfare recipients work.

Suggested Citation

Lemke, Robert J. and Dryden Witte, Ann and Queralt, Magaly and Witt, Robert, Child Care and the Welfare to Work Transition (March 2000). NBER Working Paper No. w7583, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=219233

Robert J. Lemke (Contact Author)

Lake Forest College - Department of Economics ( email )

555 N. Sheridan Road
Lake Forest, IL 60045
847-735-5143 (Phone)
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Ann Dryden Witte

Wellesley College - Department of Economics ( email )

106 Central Street
Wellesley, MA 02181
United States
781-283-2163 (Phone)
781-283-2177 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
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Magaly Queralt

Wellesley Child Care Research Partnership ( email )

Wellesley College
Wellesley, MA 02481
United States

Robert Witt

University of Surrey ( email )

Guildford
Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH
United Kingdom

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