Preventive Benefits of U.S. Childcare Subsidies in Supervisory Child Neglect

Kathryn Maguire-Jack; Kelly M Purtell; Kathryn Showalter; Sheila Barnhart; Mi-Youn Yang

doi:10.1111/chso.12307

Preventive Benefits of U.S. Childcare Subsidies in Supervisory Child Neglect

Child Soc. 2019 Mar;32(2):185-194. doi: 10.1111/chso.12307. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Authors

Kathryn Maguire-Jack¹, Kelly M Purtell², Kathryn Showalter³, Sheila Barnhart⁴, Mi-Youn Yang⁵

Affiliations

¹ The Ohio State University, College of Social Work, 1947 N College Rd., Columbus, OH 43210, 614-688-4154, Dr. Maguire-Jack is an Associate Professor of Social Work at The Ohio State University. She studies child abuse and neglect prevention and geographic variation in maltreatment.
² The Ohio State University, College of Education and Human Ecology, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Kelly Purtell is an assistant professor of Human Development and Family Science in the College of Education and Human Ecology at The Ohio State University. Her research centers on understanding how contextual factors shape health and development among low-income children and adolescents, and on how policies and programs can enhance the developmental trajectories of these youth.
³ The Ohio State Univeristy, College of Social Work, Ms. Showalter is a PhD Candidate at The Ohio State University. She examines work supports for survivors of domestic violence.
⁴ University of Kentucky, College of Social Work; Dr. Barnhart is an Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on maternal and child health.
⁵ Louisiana State University, School of Social Work, Dr. Yang is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Louisiana State University. She researches child abuse and neglect and the effects of poverty on child well-being. She is an expert on the effects of material hardship on child maltreatment.

Abstract

Using data from age 3 of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the current study explores the complex relationships between U.S. child care subsidies and neglect. Specifically, the study examines two research questions: (1) Are U.S. child care subsidies associated with self-reported neglect among low-income mothers? (2) What individual types of self-reported neglect are significantly reduced by receipt of child care subsidy? Using negative binomial regression examining the relationships among mothers who were income-eligible for child care subsidy, we found that child care subsidy was associated with lower levels of supervisory neglect, indicating an important role of subsidy in the lives of low-income families.

Keywords: Fragile Families; child care subsidies; child neglect.

Abstract

Grants and funding