Childcare, Parental Behavior and Well-Being during Childhood

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we study the long-term impacts on parental health and behaviors of a low-fee universal childcare program for children aged zero to five years old. We follow families for more than 10 years after the reform. For families with preschool children, we show that the adverse effects documented in previous studies on maternal depression and parental behaviors persist over time. However, once children enter school, most negative effects of the program on parental mental health and behaviors fade away. Only the negative effect on positive interactions may have persisted over time.