Afterschool Care and Maternal Labor Force Participation

School hours often misalign with parents’ workdays, leaving gaps in childcare for school-age children. This study focuses on how increased afterschool care availability affects mothers’ employment, earnings, and full-time work. It leverages variation from competitive 21st Century Community Learning Center Grants—federal funds awarded to expand afterschool programs—and links grant data to restricted administrative records. Using a staggered difference-in-differences event-study design, the project estimates causal effects of grant-driven afterschool availability on maternal labor-force participation and earnings. Results will clarify whether expanding afterschool programs increases employment and job quality for mothers, and will inform policymakers about the broader labor-market value of investing in care for school-aged children.