Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/295938 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 16915
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Why are children with lower socioeconomic status (SES) substantially less likely to be enrolled in child care? We study whether barriers in the application process work against lower-SES children — the group known to benefit strongest from child care enrollment. In an RCT in Germany with highly subsidized child care (N = 607), we offer treated families information and personal assistance for applications. We find substantial, equity-enhancing effects of the treatment, closing half of the large SES gap in child care enrollment. Increased enrollment for lower-SES families is likely driven by altered application knowledge and behavior. We discuss scalability of our intervention and derive policy implications for the design of universal child care programs.
Subjects: 
educational inequality
information
application barriers
early childhood
child care
randomized controlled trial
JEL: 
I21
J13
J18
J24
C93
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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