Documenting the Influence of Fund for Quality Investments on the Supply of and Demand for Child Care in Philadelphia

Fund for Quality (FFQ) helps providers of high-quality early childhood education in Philadelphia reach more families. Beginning in August 2014, an initial round of FFQ funding provided planning supports to 19 childcare centers, 15 of which have gone on to receive capital funding to complete expansions, creating over 780 new childcare seats across Philadelphia. FFQ is a partnership between Reinvestment Fund and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC).

In 2015, Reinvestment Fund and PHMC created a survey to be administered for each new seat created through FFQ. The survey included two sets of questions, one for the enrolled child’s parent or guardian and the other for the childcare provider. Through the survey, we collected information about the child’s demographics, the parent/guardian’s childcare preferences, the child’s previous childcare arrangements, the childcare arrangements for the parent/guardian’s other children under age five, and the funding sources supporting the child’s enrollment.

This white paper presents preliminary findings related to the increased capacity of FFQ-supported providers, along with select survey responses from parents. These findings provide initial insights into the way FFQ support influences the local supply of high-quality care, the children occupying FFQ-supported seats, parental preferences for care, and the overall demand for child care in the neighborhoods served by FFQ-supported providers.