Small town, big benefits: The ripple effect of $7/day child care

Abstract: This paper assesses the impact of Quebec's $7/day child care program on an economically disadvantaged community near the Quebec/Ontario border, using qualitative interviews with mothers of children in the program and with child care workers. A pilot snowball sample of mothers and child care workers marks the first phase of a three-phase project in the community. This paper shows how investing in children through a universal child care initiative resonates through this economically hard-hit community, in essence producing a ripple effect through families and the community, and reciprocally back again to children.