Research by Author & Topic

Publications by Gina Adams on Children

The study involved interviews with families from Nigeria and Pakistan living on Chicago's North Side to examine their experiences and perspectives around accessing Illinois' universal preschool program, Preschool for All (PFA). Researchers conducted focus groups with parents and spoke with PFA providers for their perspective on issues families raised. The findings suggest Nigerian and Pakistani families can face numerous barriers accessing Preschool for All. While some barriers are unique to their immigration status, others are experienced by other low-income and vulnerable families as well. The report concludes with implications for policy and recommendations for future research.

To improve early care and education, federal policymaking must focus on improving the quality of care for infants and toddlers, and for the children of working families, Gina Adams, an Urban Institute senior fellow, told the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education. Strengthening the focus on quality in the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant is an important strategy to consider.

Child care providers are a linchpin of the voucher subsidy system, yet little is known about how the system works for them. This comprehensive report examines the voucher experiences of child care centers and family child care homes in five counties in 2003–04. Using data from a survey of representative sample of providers and discussions with providers, caseworkers, and administrators, it examines provider experiences with key features of voucher systems and highlights policy strategies to help the system better meet their needs. It is part of the Urban Institute’s Child Care Providers and the Child Care Voucher System project.

Many families receiving publicly-funded child care vouchers choose legally unregulated family, friend, and neighbors to care for their children while they work. This paper highlights the experiences of these providers with vouchers in selected communities in 2004. It presents findings from interviews with subsidy agency staff and administrators and focus groups with unregulated providers. It examines the voucher subsidy policies developed for these caregivers in these sites, and how both agency staff and providers perceive these policies and experience working together. The paper is part of the Urban Institute’s Child Care Providers and the Child Care Voucher System project.

Faith-based providers are key in delivering child care services overall and for children receiving child care vouchers, though data are scarce in this area. Using data from a survey of a representative sample of centers and site visits in five counties in 2003-4, this report examines the role of faith-based organizations in center-based child care, the extent to which centers affiliated with faith-based organizations care for children receiving vouchers, and whether such providers face barriers to working with the voucher system. The paper is part of the Urban Institute’s Child Care Providers and the Child Care Voucher System project.

Many state and local child care subsidy agencies have been redesigning their policies to better meet the needs of the families they serve, and to create more efficient and fiscally responsible systems. These strategies reflect states' growing understanding of the dynamic nature of low-income families' lives and of the challenges they face as they move toward stable employment. This report synthesizes findings from various research projects conducted by the Urban Institute (and other organizations), and lays out a range of policy strategies states are implementing to support eligible families in accessing and retaining child care subsidies.

Vouchers play an important role in federal efforts to help low-income families obtain both housing and child care. These programs constitute essential components of the promise of welfare reform to encourage and support work among low-income families. And both types of vouchers have the potential to enhance long-term outcomes for children. Although federal housing and child care voucher programs differ in important respects, they also face common challenges, and innovations in one area can potentially inform efforts in the other. This brief highlights promising strategies for tackling challenges to the success of child care and housing vouchers.

Use of early care and education (ECE) is a reality for many families with young children. Research shows the importance of the early years for children’s development, and suggests that high-quality ECE can be particularly important for children from low-income families. In addition, the U.S. invests billions to support ECE. This paper assesses the patterns of ECE utilization by low-income families, the implications for children's development of the extent and quality of ECE participation, the evidence on the quality of ECE that low-income children receive, and the policy context that shapes ECE. It concludes by laying out key policy considerations.

Though child care subsidies are an important work support, subsidy policies can make participation challenging. This policy brief summarizes a longer report on strategies to lower subsidy participation barriers in seven Midwestern states, and discusses their experiences and tradeoffs (i.e. staff workload, improper payments, and program costs). Strategies are in eight areas: linking subsidies to other social services; improving customer service practices; simplifying application processes; simplifying recertification requirements; simplifying reporting requirements; minimizing subsidy breaks; assisting parents with nontraditional work schedules; and assisting parents with language barriers. This brief identifies key themes and provides a guide to help policymakers better support families.

Though child care subsidies are an important work support, subsidy policies can make participation challenging. This report highlights subsidy agency strategies to lower participation barriers in seven Midwestern states, and discusses their experiences and tradeoffs (i.e. staff workload, improper payments, and program costs). Strategies are in eight policy areas: linking subsidies to other social services; improving customer service practices; simplifying application processes; simplifying recertification requirements; simplifying reporting requirements; minimizing subsidy breaks; assisting parents with nontraditional work schedules; and assisting parents with language barriers. It identifies key themes and provides a guide to help policymakers interested in better supporting families.