Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/289798 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
IWH Discussion Papers No. 13/2024
Publisher: 
Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), Halle (Saale)
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: 
application barriers
child care
early childhood
educational inequality
information
randomized controlled trial
JEL: 
C93
I21
J13
J18
J24
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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