Documenting how federal and state child care policies increase equitable access to high-quality early care and education (ECE) for families with low- and moderate-incomes remains a challenge in part due to overlaps in policy enactment. This study used an interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) to describe changes to providers’ participation in Maryland's child care subsidy program following implementation of a constellation of child care policies enacted between January 5, 2015, and March 2, 2020 (i.e., prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). Findings indicate a marked increase in the percentage of licensed family child care (FCC) and center-based providers serving children with a subsidy following increases in household income eligibility levels and provider reimbursement rates in 2018. Provider participation rates varied by neighborhood income level, with participation expanding more in neighborhoods with lower poverty density relative to their starting level in 2015. Changes in child participation rates by income eligibility mirrored changes in state subsidy policy: children residing in income-eligible households above 200 % federal poverty level represented 4.4 % of the child sample in 2018, 13 % in 2019, and 18 % in 2020. The proportion of children with a subsidy who used higher-rated ECE increased significantly between January 2018 and January 2020 for all racial/ethnic groups, income eligibility levels, and urbanicity categories. The majority (62 %) of children who stayed in the subsidy program between 2018 and 2019 stayed with their same provider, many of which obtained their first rating or increased their quality rating during this time frame in accordance with a new requirement for providers to participate in the state's quality rating system to receive a subsidy reimbursement. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

中文翻译：

---

通过儿童保育补贴政策，扩大马里兰州低收入家庭获得高质量早期保育和教育的机会


记录联邦和州儿童保育政策如何增加中低收入家庭公平获得高质量早期保育和教育 (ECE) 的机会仍然是一项挑战，部分原因是政策制定的重叠。本研究使用间断时间序列分析 (ITSA) 来描述在实施 2015 年 1 月 5 日至 2020 年 3 月 2 日期间（即之前）颁布的一系列儿童保育政策后，提供者参与马里兰州儿童保育补贴计划的变化。 COVID-19 大流行）。调查结果表明，随着 2018 年家庭收入资格水平和提供者报销率的提高，获得许可的家庭儿童保育 (FCC) 和中心提供者为儿童提供补贴的比例显着增加。提供者参与率因社区收入水平而异，相对于 2015 年的起始水平，贫困密度较低的社区的参与度扩大得更多。按收入资格划分的儿童参与率的变化反映了国家补贴政策的变化：居住在联邦贫困线 200% 以上的收入合格家庭的儿童占儿童参与率的 4.4%。 2018 年儿童样本比例为 13%，2020 年为 18%。2018 年 1 月至 2020 年 1 月期间，对于所有种族/族裔群体、收入资格水平和城市而言，使用较高评级 ECE 的接受补贴儿童的比例显着增加类别。 2018 年至 2019 年间参与补贴计划的大多数儿童 (62%) 留在同一提供者处，其中许多人在此期间根据提供者参与的新要求获得了首次评级或提高了质量评级在国家的质量评级系统中获得补贴报销。讨论了对未来研究、政策和实践的影响。