More Hours, More Work: Head Start Expansions Boost Maternal Employment

Authors

Chloe Gibbs, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy ResearchFollow
Esra Kose, University of California, Merced
Maria Rosales Rueda, University of Delaware

Upjohn Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2684-053X

Series

Upjohn Institute working paper ; 26-427

DOI

10.17848/wp26-427

Issue Date

February 2026

Abstract

Women’s employment remains highly sensitive to childcare constraints, making childcare availability a critical lever for supporting mothers’ labor force attachment. We study the effects of expanded full-day programming in Head Start, using the 2016 federal funding initiative that targeted grantees with low full-day enrollment. Linking administrative program data, geo-coded center locations, and household data on employment, we estimate a difference-in-differences design by comparing mothers of young children in treated and untreated areas. The policy increased full-day enrollment by 19 percent and raised single mothers’ employment (1.9%), hours (2.5%), and earnings (6.5%). Results show that extending program duration meaningfully improves maternal labor market outcomes.

Sponsorship

National Science Foundation (SES-1824511) and the Russell Sage Foundation

Subject Areas

EDUCATION; Early childhood; Childcare / Child care; Preschool and early education; LABOR MARKET ISSUES