Document Type
Article
Source of Publication
Canadian Journal of Economics
Publication Date
8-3-2026
Abstract
This paper estimates the average causal effect of access to subsidized before- and after-school care on the labour market outcomes of mothers. Specifically, we analyze a major policy reform implemented in Quebec (Canada) in 1998, which required all public primary schools to provide before- and after-school care at a low fixed fee, thereby reducing costs and expanding availability for families. We identify the intent-to-treat effect of the reform on service use and maternal labour market outcomes using administrative tax return data and a triple difference design. We find that, 7 years after implementation, the policy led to a substantial increase in mothers' use of childcare programs and raised their average annual labour income by 7%. These income gains are primarily driven by higher income among working mothers, rather than increased employment rates.
DOI Link
ISSN
Publisher
Wiley
Disciplines
Business
Keywords
Subsidy (0.64) | Business (0.47) | Demographic economics (0.46) | Labour economics (0.44) | Difference in differences (0.43) | Economics (0.39) | Public policy (0.38) | Public sector (0.37) | Panel data (0.36) | Child care (0.36) | Public economics (0.36) | Service (business) (0.36) | Primary care (0.36) | Income Support (0.31) | Public service (0.31) | Low income (0.3) | Public assistance (0.28) | Counterfactual thinking (0.27) | Economic growth (0.26) | Longitudinal data (0.26)
Scopus ID
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
He, Ailin; Renée, Laetitia; and Sayour, Nagham, "Impact of after-school care on maternal income: Evidence from Canadian administrative data" (2026). All Works. 8234.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/8234
Indexed in Scopus
yes
Open Access
yes
Open Access Type
Hybrid: This publication is openly available in a subscription-based journal/series