Chapin Hall

The Issue 

Access to affordable, quality child care and early childhood education is essential for family well-being and child safety. In 2023, nearly 70% of children under age 6 had all available parents in the workforce (U.S. Census Bureau), underscoring the urgent need for supportive child care infrastructure. Yet many families—those with the greatest need—face barriers to accessing these programs due to high costs and limited access to child care subsidies.  

The Evidence 

Access to child care and early childhood education programs is a powerful protective factor for families. A growing body of research demonstrates that these services can reduce risk of child maltreatment, foster care placement, and involvement with the child welfare system. 

• Cash & Wilke (2003) found that mothers entering substance use treatment who have difficulty securing child care are 82% more likely to self-report child neglect, compared to mothers entering treatment who do not have this difficulty. For these women, difficulty finding child care is a stronger predictor of maternal neglect than their mental health status and severity of substance use.   

• Green et al. (2014) found that children who attended Early Head Start had fewer child welfare encounters between ages 5 and 9, compared to those who did not attend.   

• Klein et al. (2017) found that children up to age 5 who participated in Head Start and were referred to child welfare for suspected maltreatment were 93% less likely to enter foster care 18 months later, compared to children who did not receive any early childhood education service.   

• Klein (2011) found that neighborhoods with a higher percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds attending preschool, both locally and in surrounding neighborhoods, had lower rates of child maltreatment investigations and substantiations.   

• Yang et al. (2019) found that each additional month that mothers who are low income receive a child care subsidy is associated with a 16% decrease in the odds of a neglect report and a 14% decrease in the odds of a physical abuse report, in the 12 months following receipt of the subsidy.   Thibodeau et al. (2024) found that policies that increase access to child care subsidies are associated with decreased child maltreatment investigation and substantiation rates.   

The Way Forward 

Investing in early childhood programs, including Head Start, is cost effective and yields substantial economic benefits, with every $1 invested returning up to $9 in societal benefits (García et al., 2021). Child care is also essential to support parents’ employment and earnings. A recent analysis found that children’s enrollment in free, all-day pre-kindergarten raises parents’ earnings by almost 22%, and these earnings gains persist for at least 6 years after the end of pre-kindergarten (Humphries et al., 2024).   

By ensuring all families have access to affordable, high-quality child care, we can strengthen family stability, support children’s healthy development, and take a powerful step toward preventing both child maltreatment and child welfare intervention.  

For more information about this resource, contact Alana Barr.  

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