Employment and Training Institute surveys of central city Milwaukee female job seekers identified lack of child care as a primary barrier to employment, and a recent assessment of AFDC mothers with very young children found that most needed help finding and financing child care. This study examined the utilization of child care subsidies by low-income parents in Milwaukee County over a 21-month period from January 1996 through September 1997, analyzed payment to 2,826 providers of care and 31,863 child care placements, and reviewed AFDC, food stamp and medical assistance records in 1995, 1996, and 1997 in order to assess use and type of child care subsidized in the county. It also explored the experience of adults offering provisional, certified and licensed child care to gauge income received for this work.

Note: This is a companion study to "Removing Transportation Barriers to Employment: Assessing Driver's License and Vehicle Ownership Patterns of Low-Income Populations".