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Child Care Subsidies, Maternal Health, And Child–Parent Interactions: Evidence From Three Nationally Representative Datasets

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  • Chris M. Herbst
  • Erdal Tekin

Abstract

A complete account of the US child care subsidy system requires an understanding of its implications for both parental and child well‐being. Although the effects of child care subsidies on maternal employment and child development have been recently studied, many other dimensions of family well‐being have received little attention. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining the impact of child care subsidy receipt on maternal health and the quality of child–parent interactions. The empirical analyses use data from three nationally representative surveys, providing access to numerous measures of family well‐being. In addition, we attempt to handle the possibility of non‐random selection into subsidy receipt by using several identification strategies both within and across the surveys. Our results consistently indicate that child care subsidies are associated with worse maternal health and poorer interactions between parents and their children. In particular, subsidized mothers report lower levels of overall health and are more likely to show symptoms consistent with anxiety, depression, and parenting stress. Such mothers also reveal more psychological and physical aggression toward their children and are more likely to utilize spanking as a disciplinary tool. Together, these findings suggest that work‐based public policies aimed at economically disadvantaged mothers may ultimately undermine family well‐being. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Chris M. Herbst & Erdal Tekin, 2014. "Child Care Subsidies, Maternal Health, And Child–Parent Interactions: Evidence From Three Nationally Representative Datasets," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(8), pages 894-916, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:23:y:2014:i:8:p:894-916
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.2964
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    Cited by:

    1. Herbst, Chris M., 2018. "The rising cost of child care in the United States: A reassessment of the evidence," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 13-30.
    2. Yamaguchi, Shintaro & Asai, Yukiko & Kambayashi, Ryo, 2018. "How does early childcare enrollment affect children, parents, and their interactions?," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 56-71.
    3. Jonas Jessen & Christa Katharina Spieß & Sevrin Waights, 2022. "Centre‐Based Care and Parenting Activities," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 84(6), pages 1356-1379, December.
    4. Marina Krauß & Niklas Rott, 2024. "Early Childcare Expansion and Maternal Health," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1208, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    5. Herbst, Chris M., 2022. "Child Care in the United States: Markets, Policy, and Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 15547, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Chris M. Herbst, 2023. "Child Care In The United States: Markets, Policy, And Evidence," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 42(1), pages 255-304, January.
    7. Marie Connolly & Catherine Haeck, 2015. "Are Childcare Subsidies Good for Parental Well-being? Empirical Evidence from Three Countries," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 13(01), pages 09-15, April.
    8. Schochet, Owen N. & Johnson, Anna D. & Ryan, Rebecca M., 2020. "The relationship between increases in low-income mothers’ education and children’s early outcomes: Variation by developmental stage and domain," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    9. Nikolett Somogyi & Wim Van Lancker & Rossella Ciccia & Sarah Van de Velde, 2021. "The Relationship between Familizing and Individualizing Policies and Mental Health in Parents in Europe," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-16, February.
    10. Claire Crawford & Laura Outhwaite, 2023. "Why should we invest in Early Childhood Education and Care?," CEPEO Briefing Note Series 24, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Mar 2023.
    11. Michael J. Kottelenberg & Steven F. Lehrer, 2018. "Does Quebecs subsidized child care policy give boys and girls an equal start?," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 51(2), pages 627-659, May.
    12. Georg F. Camehl & C. Katharina Spieß & Kurt Hahlweg, 2019. "Short- and Mid-Term Effects of a Parenting Program on Maternal Well-Being: Evidence for More and Less Advantaged Mothers," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1062, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    13. Boyd-Swan, Casey & Herbst, Chris M. & Ifcher, John & Zarghamee, Homa, 2016. "The earned income tax credit, mental health, and happiness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 126(PA), pages 18-38.
    14. Marie Connolly & Catherine Haeck, 2015. "Are Childcare Subsidies Good for Parental Well-being? Empirical Evidence from Three Countries," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 13(1), pages 09-15, 04.
    15. Camehl, Georg & Hahlweg, Kurt & Spieß, C. Katharina, 2018. "The Effects of a Parenting Program on Maternal Well-Being: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181583, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    16. Anam Bilgrami & Kompal Sinha & Henry Cutler, 2020. "The impact of introducing a national scheme for paid parental leave on maternal mental health outcomes," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(12), pages 1657-1681, December.
    17. Hong, Kai & Dragan, Kacie & Glied, Sherry, 2019. "Seeing and hearing: The impacts of New York City’s universal pre-kindergarten program on the health of low-income children," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 93-107.
    18. Maguire-Jack, Kathryn & Hardi, Felicia & Stormer, Bri & Lee, Joyce Y. & Feely, Megan & Rostad, Whitney & Ford, Derek C. & Merrick, Melissa T. & Murphy, Catherine A. & Bart. Klika, J., 2022. "Early childhood education and care policies in the U.S. And their impact on family violence," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    19. Herbst, Chris M., 2014. "Are Parental Welfare Work Requirements Good for Disadvantaged Children? Evidence from Age-of-Youngest-Child Exemptions," IZA Discussion Papers 8485, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Sophia Schmitz, 2020. "The Impact of Publicly Funded Childcare on Parental Well-Being: Evidence from Cut-Off Rules," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(2), pages 171-196, April.
    21. repec:ces:ifodic:v:13:y:2015:i:1:p:19160201 is not listed on IDEAS

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