Devolution of Subsidized Child Care Services in Texas – Deanna Schexnayder

Center for Social Work Research, The Univeristy of Texas at Austin

The purpose of this three-year research project is to examine subsidized child care programs over a time period during which responsibility for these programs was devolved from the state to the local level. The study will address the following questions: How do local child care policies in Texas vary following the devolution of responsibilities for child care policies to the local workforce boards? What is the process by which changes in the provision of publicly subsidized child care are implemented? Which changes in the availability of child care statistically associated with policy variations? Which change in patterns of child care usage are statistically associated with policy variations at the state and local level?

During the first year of this project, researchers will survey all 28 local workforce boards, identify policy changes, and analyze subsidy and market rate data to develop profiles describing each local area. Three sites will be selected for an in-depth examination of policy variations, patterns of service utilization, shifts in the supply of services, costs of care and quality of services.

In the third year, data from all facets of the over six years covered by this research will be combined and used in an econometric analysis to answer the research questions.

The Texas Child Care Subsidy Program After Devolution to the Local Level: A Product of the Study of Child Care Devolution in Texas (June 2004). Deanna Schexnayder, Daniel Schroeder, Ying Tang, Laura Lein, Julie Beausoleil, Gina Amatangelo. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin, and Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin. 50 pp., 5 appendices.

Texas Child Care Profiles for Local Workforce Development Areas FY 1998 – FY 2001: A Product of the Study of Devolution of Subsidized Child Care in Texas (April 2003). Daniel Schroeder, Trish Norman, Ying Tang, Matthew Randazzo, Deanna Schexnayder, Laura Lein, Julie Beausoleil, Sara Trott. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin. 92pp.

Preliminary Findings from Interviews with Child Care Program Managers: A Product of the Study of Devolution of Subsidized Child Care in Texas (April 2003). Laura Lein, Julie Beausoleil, Sara Trott, Deanna Schexnayder, Daniel Schroeder, Ying Tang, Matthew Randazzo. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin. 29pp

The Process of Devolution: Perceptions from Local Boards: A Product of the Study of Child Care Devolution in Texas (October 2007). Laura Lein, Julie Beausoleil, Ying Tang. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin. 58pp.

Child Care Devolution in Texas: The Relationship of Child Care Policies to Subsidy, Employment and Market Durations: Final Technical Report (March 2008). Deanna Schexnayder, Daniel Schroeder. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin. 64pp.

The Devolution of Subsidized Child Care in Texas: Final Summary Report (March 2008). Deanna Schexnayder, Laura Lein. Ray Marshall Center for the Study of Human Resources, The University of Texas at Austin, and the Center for Social Work Research, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin. 27pp.