Subsidized Childcare in Quebec Demonstrates Long-Term Positive Impact on Mothers' Labor Outcomes
A study by researchers Michael Baker, Jonathan Gruber, and Kevin S. Milligan, titled 'Investing in Mothers? The Long-Run Impact of a Universal Child Care Program on Maternal Work and Income,' examines the long-term effects of Quebec’s universal, heavily subsidized childcare program, introduced in 1997 for children aged 0–4. The research, published as NBER Working Paper 35514, found that mothers who had access to this program were significantly more likely to be employed and earned more, even after their children had grown past preschool age. Using data from the Labour Force Survey and income tax records spanning 26 years, the study compared mothers in Quebec with those in the rest of Canada before and after the program's implementation, tracking outcomes as children aged.
