A team of researchers at the Urban Institute has been leading an evaluation of the District of Columbia’s child care subsidy program. The testimony recommends sustaining the funding for the program to support DC’s working families and their children as well as child care providers who reported to us that the program is needed to stabilize the supply of child care in the city. 

What We Found

• Study participants, along with our independent analysis of child care administrative data, show the child care subsidy program has bounced back since the pandemic.
• Study participants report that the program is needed to support parents’ workforce participation, children’s growth and development, and the supply of child care available throughout DC. 

What We Recommend

We recommend the District of Columbia City Council

• maintain the current child care subsidy budget along with funding for other programs and tax credits designed to support families with young children, and
• continue to evaluate the effectiveness of child care subsidy policies and practices to improve the subsidy program to best meet the needs of families in DC and document outcomes.