Session: Lessening Administrative Burdens for Program Administrators and Families in Child Care Settings (Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference)

Burdens in government interaction shape how individuals and organizations access supports and services and their effectiveness. The study of administrative burden considers the complexities of learning about and complying with social programs and the psychological consequences of doing so. Most often studies of administrative burden focus on the challenges of recipient access to public benefit programs; there is growing interest as well in understanding the burdens experienced by administrators in private and public programs and their role in lessening client burdens.

This symposium brings together three complementary papers that explore diverse administrative burdens as they are experienced (1) by childcare center directors participating in a state-funded quality enhancement program, (2) home-based childcare providers being recruited into and participating in a nutrition-assistance program, and (3) parent caregivers seeking assistance from government programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, these studies help us understand how program design and implementation can shape participation in programs, service quality, and received supports for childcare providers and families. A discussant will elaborate on key themes that tie the papers together and their implications for reducing burdens and barriers of participation and improving access and service retention.

The first paper evaluates the implementation of a state pilot program for childcare centers that conditions eligibility for new childcare grant funding on mandatory workforce salary enhancements and investments in leadership development and quality improvements. Interviews with center directors reveal that participants generally welcomed salary enhancements and coaching services, and to a lesser extent valued quality-improvement activities. However, challenges related to communication, interpersonal and institutional trust, and complexity of reporting requirements hampered program effectiveness.

The second paper explores the evolving role of out-of-school time (OST) programs and school-aged childcare during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on interviews with parent caregivers across four cities, the study illuminates how new administrative practices could reduce or exacerbate burden for families experiencing economic hardship, food insecurity, and shifting care needs during the crisis. Interviews highlighted the vital role of OST providers in supporting families by providing meals and connecting them to essential resources and assistance programs, emphasizing the importance of school-aged childcare in buffering crisis conditions.

The third paper asks if an intervention aimed at alleviating childcare provider burden in accessing meal reimbursement funds was effective in doing so. This examination of a pilot intervention targeting license-exempt home-based childcare providers' participation in the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) showed that despite efforts to increase engagement through supplementary caseworker support, there was limited success in enhancing recruitment and retention services. Possible reasons that the enhanced intervention did not increase program uptake or participation include new burdens introduced by supplemental caseworker support coupled with pre-existing program complexities that were not reduced by additional caseworker services.

Collectively, these papers contribute to our understanding of the challenges and opportunities to enhance participation, quality, and support for providers and families through alleviation of program participation burdens. The symposium aims to stimulate discussion on innovative approaches to address the evolving needs of service providers to inform future policy and practice.