In this brief, we document the number and types of providers participating in DC’s child care subsidy program and how many children they enroll through the subsidy program. We document these patterns overall in DC and across DC’s eight wards.

Why This Matters

Many states and local jurisdictions seek to expand and sustain the supply of affordable and high-quality child care, administering child care subsidy programs to support achieving this goal. Two approaches for building supply are encouraging greater subsidy program participation and increasing subsidy enrollment among existing providers.

Understanding how subsidy program participation differs by ward, facility type, and ages served can inform policymakers seeking to increase access to care types certain families need or prefer. Findings also help identify where additional resources and supports can bolster the supply of subsidized care. This brief offers descriptive evidence of both to help policymakers design policies and practices to increase access to and use of subsidies.

What We Found

• In November 2023, over half (57 percent) of child care facilities participated in DC’s child care subsidy program.
• Participation in the child care subsidy program varied widely across DC wards, from 21 percent to as high as 96 percent of facilities.
• Over the course fiscal year 2024, facilities participating in the subsidy program enrolled less than one-third (27 percent on average) of their total capacity through the subsidy program.
• Additional data could provide greater insights into opportunities for or challenges with encouraging providers’ subsidy program participation or increasing the percentage of their capacity filled with children using subsidies.

How We Did It

Urban Institute is conducting a mixed-methods study examining the implementation and outcomes of DC’s child care subsidy policies. We analyzed data from an annual snapshot of licensed DC child care facilities from November 2023 and monthly subsidy payment data from DC’s 2024 fiscal year, obtained through a data-sharing agreement with the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education.