Novel Measurement of Childcare Customer and Worker Flows Enables Novel Evidence on Recent Supply-Side Subsidies

Grant description:

This project will examine the impact of supply-side child care investments on access to and stability of child care, as well as whether investments in child care vary by neighborhood. Utilizing novel mobile phone data, the authors plan to construct “real-time” measures of customer and worker flow, enabling an in-depth exploration of the dynamics of the child care workforce and consumers at a fine geographic scale with high frequency. They will then use this new data, along with data from a Minnesota grant program from the American Rescue Plan, to answer how funds given directly to providers affect the number and demographics of families served. This project will provide new evidence on the effects of investing in the supply of child care as opposed to supporting the demand side through vouchers or other subsidies.