les défenseurs des programmes universels de garde d'enfants présentent souvent l'exemple du Québec comme un modèle que les autres provinces devraient suivre en matière de petite enfance et de garde d'enfants. Alors que ces programmes sont très populaires auprès des citoyens, des études portant sur l'accès à ces services ont indiqué qu'ils ont entraîné une multitude d'effets indésirables sur le développement et la santé des enfants ainsi que sur les familles; ces recherches ont évidemment subi beaucoup de critiques et suscité la controverse. Dans cet article, nous montrons que leurs analyses étaient toutefois robustes en ce qui a trait aux questions portant : 1. sur la possibilité que les effets négatifs diminueraient au fur et à mesure que les prestataires de services auraient plus d'expérience ; 2. sur des comparaisons multiples ; et 3. sur le fait que leurs estimations mesuraient l'impact causal de la disponibilité de services de garde et non celui de l'utilisation de ces services. Il y a cependant une exception notable : alors que les estimations des effets des politiques indiquaient une baisse des résultats aux tests de développement moteur et social des enfants au Québec comparativement au reste du Canada, nos analyses impliquent qu'une présence moyenne en service de garde entraîne une hausse significative des résultats à ces tests. Toutefois, nos analyses révèlent une hétérogénéité importante dans les effets des programmes et indiquent que les impacts négatifs rapportés dans les premières recherches sont associés à des enfants qui ont profité d'un service de garde seulement parce que ces services avaient été mis en place.Mots clés : programme universel de garde d'enfants, garderies, développement de l'enfant, offre de travail des mères, politiques familiales du QuébecIn Canada, advocates of universal child-care often point to policies implemented in Quebec as providing a model for early education and care policies in other provinces. While these policies have proven to be highly popular among citizens, initial evaluations of access to these programs indicated they led to a multitude of undesirable child developmental, health, and family outcomes. These research findings ignited substantial 264 Michael J. Kottelenberg and Steven F. Lehrer Canadian PubliC PoliCy -analyse de Politiques, vol. xxxix, no. 2 2013 controversy and criticism. In this study, we show the robustness of the initial analyses to 1) concerns over whether negative outcomes would vanish over time as suppliers gained experience providing child-care; 2) concerns regarding multiple testing; and 3) concerns that the original estimates measured the causal impact of child-care availability and not child-care attendance. A notable exception is that despite estimated effects stemming from the policy indicating declines in motor-social development scores in Quebec relative to the rest of Canada, our analyses imply that on average attending child-care in Canada leads to a significant increase in this test score. However, our analysis reveals substan...

We extend earlier research evaluating the Quebec Family Policy by providing the first evidence on the distributional effects of universal child care on two specific developmental outcomes. Our analysis uncovers substantial policy relevant heterogeneity in the estimated effect of access to subsidized child care across two developmental score distributions for children from two-parent families. Whereas past research reported findings of negative effects on mothers and children from these families, igniting controversy, our estimates reveal a more nuanced image that formal child care can indeed boost developmental outcomes for children from some households: particularly disadvantaged single-parent households. In addition, we document significant heterogeneity that differs by child gender. We present suggestive evidence that the heterogeneity in policy effects that emerges across child gender and family type is consistent with differences in the home learning environments generated by parents behaviors that are previously present and are shaped by responses to the policy.

We extend earlier research evaluating the Quebec Family Policy by providing the first evidence on the distributional effects of universal child care on two specific developmental outcomes. Our analysis uncovers substantial policy relevant heterogeneity in the estimated effect of access to subsidized child care across two developmental score distributions for children from two-parent families. Whereas past research reported findings of negative effects on mothers and children from these families, igniting controversy, our estimates reveal a more nuanced image that formal child care can indeed boost developmental outcomes for children from some households: particularly disadvantaged single-parent households. In addition, we document significant heterogeneity that differs by child gender. We present suggestive evidence that the heterogeneity in policy effects that emerges across child gender and family type is consistent with differences in the home learning environments generated by parents behaviors that are previously present and are shaped by responses to the policy.Michael J. Kottelenberg 1349 Western Ave.

The rising participation of women in paid work has not only heightened demand for universal early education and care programs but also led to increased use of child care amongst children at earlier ages. Prior research investigating Quebec's universal highlysubsidized child care documented significant declines in a variety of developmental outcomes for all children aged 0-4 years. However, past analysis has not explored whether these effects vary for children of different ages. In this paper, we demonstrate substantial heterogeneity in policy impacts by child age. Children who gain access to subsidized child care at earlier ages experience significantly larger negative impacts on developmental scores, health and behavioral outcomes. The sole exception is the negative relationship between access to subsidized child care and hyperactivity scores which steepens with child age. Our analysis additionally provides significant evidence of treatment effect heterogeneity within ages, and reveals benefits from access to universal child care on developmental scores for those that are above three years of age. * We would like to thank Jonas Vlachos as well as participants at the CESIFO Economic Studies and UCLS Conference on Children, Families and Human Capital Formation and seminar presentations at York University and the University of Ottawa for many helpful comments and suggestions that improved this draft. This paper is a revised version of a portion of Kottelenberg's Queen's University 2009 Master's research paper. Lehrer wishes to thank SSHRC for research support. We are responsible for all errors.