More Hours, More Work: Head Start Expansions Boost Maternal Employment. Working Paper 34831
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| Title: | More Hours, More Work: Head Start Expansions Boost Maternal Employment. Working Paper 34831 |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Chloe Gibbs, Esra Kose, Maria Rosales-Rueda, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) |
| Source: | National Bureau of Economic Research. 2026. |
| Availability: | National Bureau of Economic Research. 1050 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-5398. Tel: 617-588-0343; Web site: http://www.nber.org |
| Peer Reviewed: | N |
| Publication Date: | 2026 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SES) Russell Sage Foundation |
| Contract Number: | 1824511 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Low Income Students, Federal Programs, Social Services, Mothers, Employment, Child Care, School Schedules, Program Length, Labor Market |
| Laws, Policies and Program Identifiers: | Head Start |
| Abstract: | Women's employment remains highly sensitive to childcare constraints, making childcare availability a critical lever for supporting mothers' labor force attachment. We study the effects of expanded full-day programming in Head Start, using the 2016 federal funding initiative that targeted grantees with low full-day enrollment. Linking administrative program data, geo-coded center locations, and household data on employment, we estimate a difference-in-differences design by comparing mothers of young children in treated and untreated areas. The policy increased full-day enrollment by 19 percent and raised single mothers' employment (1.9%), hours (2.5%), and earnings (6.5%). Results show that extending program duration meaningfully improves maternal labor market outcomes. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Access URL: | https://www.nber.org/papers/w34831 |
| Accession Number: | ED679641 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Women's employment remains highly sensitive to childcare constraints, making childcare availability a critical lever for supporting mothers' labor force attachment. We study the effects of expanded full-day programming in Head Start, using the 2016 federal funding initiative that targeted grantees with low full-day enrollment. Linking administrative program data, geo-coded center locations, and household data on employment, we estimate a difference-in-differences design by comparing mothers of young children in treated and untreated areas. The policy increased full-day enrollment by 19 percent and raised single mothers' employment (1.9%), hours (2.5%), and earnings (6.5%). Results show that extending program duration meaningfully improves maternal labor market outcomes. |
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