Cracks in the Seams: Durability of Child Care in JOBS Welfare-to-Work Programs

Abstract

The success of recent welfare reforms will depend, in part, on the ability of local welfare programs to meet the child care needs of low-income parents. A key challenge is the integration of targeted child care subsidies into a “seamless” system for parents who are making transitions between welfare, training, and employment. This article uses data from a one-year panel study to describe program activities and child care use and transitions for participants in a welfare-to-work program. The results suggest that welfare clients were receiving significant child care assistance but services remained fragmented and poorly integrated. Adult clients engaged in multiple, often short-term job preparation and employment activities, and transitions between activities frequently resulted in disruptions in child care arrangements and loss of child care subsidies. Implications for welfare and child care policy are discussed.