Consequences of Child-Care Assistance Policies

Given the fragmented structure of child-care assistance in the United States, it has been diffi? cult to obtain accurate estimates of which fami? lies are assisted, through which mechanisms, and at what level. Making use of survey data from New York City, we analyze the distribution of several forms of public child-care assistance. Results suggest that about 40% of all families with young children receive some form of child-care assistance. Considering all forms of assistance, the distribution of child-care help is targeted in both expected and some unexpected ways. Implications of these results are dis? cussed in the context of U.S. child-care policies governing access and benefit levels.