Improving the Measurement of Childcare in the Supplemental Poverty Measure

Childcare is a major expense faced by families with children in the United States. However, the Supplemental Poverty Measure – the current approach for measuring poverty rates – inadequately calculates families' needs and resources. Sociologist Christopher Wimer, public policy scholar Jane Waldfogel, and economist Robert Hartley will create and estimate a childcare-inclusive poverty measure that reflects the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences' 2023 report on improvements to the measurement of poverty. They will utilize data on childcare subsidy reimbursement rates set by states and data from the National Database of Childcare Prices for their project.