In this brief, we explore patterns of enrollment in subsidized child care in DC and whether children experience continuity in their subsidized care.

Why This Matters

Child care subsidies are intended to improve families’ access to child care. To benefit from subsidies—and child care more generally—families must be able to maintain their subsidy and care arrangement. Continuity in child care supports children’s developmental progress and helps families maintain their employment. Disruptions in subsidy use and child care arrangement can reflect changes to family circumstances, which may be influenced by subsidy policies and practices. As such, understanding continuity in subsidized child care access can help policymakers design subsidy policies that support families in the subsidy program.

What We Found

• A majority of children were in DC’s subsidy program for at least one year.
• Just under half of children in the subsidy program experienced continuity of care; specifically, they did not experience a gap in their coverage or a change in their care arrangement.
• Children who experienced a change in their subsidized care provider were more likely to experience this change during a spell of enrollment than during a gap in coverage.
• More children entered the subsidy program at a younger age, and younger children experienced a longer duration in the program.

How We Did It

Urban Institute is conducting a mixed-methods study examining the implementation and outcomes of DC’s child care subsidy policies. For this study, we analyzed monthly administrative child care subsidy payment records from 2015 to 2024, obtained through a data sharing agreement with the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education.