Can administrative changes improve child-care subsidy stability?

Abstract

This study assesses administrative changes in Massachusetts that shifted the responsibility for child-care subsidy-eligibility reassessments from regional Child Care Resource and Referral agencies to locally contracted child-care providers. The study applies a mixed-methods approach, using (1) state administrative data to examine the association between the administrative changes and children’s stability of subsidy receipt and (2) qualitative methods to illustrate the potential explanatory factors generating observed associations. We find a positive relationship between the administrative changes and subsidy stability overall but also substantial regional variation, which can be explained in part by policy- and organization-level variation identified in our qualitative research. Findings of the study highlight the importance of considering multilevel factors when designing, implementing, and evaluating changes in social service delivery practices and point to the need for a mixed-methods approach to evaluate such changes.