By Caitlin Anzelone and Emil Marano, and Ilana Brody, MDRC, May 2020
Parents are facing a host of child care challenges as they deal with the coronavirus emergency. Many essential workers need child care so they can continue to earn a wage and provide much-needed services. Other parents have relied on child care providers that are now closed, and they are struggling to balance family and job duties while they work from home. Still other parents who were working or attending school may have lost their jobs or adjusted their education plans, affecting their eligibility for financial assistance through federal Child Care Development Fund vouchers. Child care providers are also grappling with new challenges due to the pandemic. Shifting client needs are affecting some groups’ ability to remain open, and new safety precautions for children and staff are having an impact on daily operations. Providers must quickly learn to implement new procedures to keep their staff and clients safe, adjusting to the needs of parents and children in this fast-changing environment.
Given these challenges, many providers are likely rethinking aspects of their programs. Expanded eligibility guidelines and flexible funding options from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and state-declared emergency programs can support wider access to care. For example, state child care agencies may identify new priority populations, such as the children of health care workers; broaden the definition of work to include people seeking employment; and adjust income requirements so that more parents are eligible for services. However, for changes like these to be helpful, parents and child care workers must be able to navigate them.
To simplify and improve access options, child care agencies can apply strategies developed by MDRC’s Center for Applied Behavioral Science (CABS). These lessons emerged from four studies that were part of the Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project, sponsored by the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families. The research is distilled here into five strategies, first described in Behavioral Buzz: Five Evidence-Based Behavioral Science Practices for Social Services Agencies During COVID-19, which featured examples from innovative child care agencies.
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