PPA is hosting a research webinar alongside research teams from Yale University and the University of Chicago to share insights about provider engagement and experiences of administrative burden in Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) programs in Connecticut, Michigan, and Illinois.
Please join us on August 18, 2026, from 11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Eastern Time to hear results from these studies. To register for the event, please click this link or visit this web page-
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PUbbtfkARkOoapkpfoku-g#/registration.
There is no fee to attend.
The panelists include:
Provider Experiences of Administrative Burden: Learning from Connecticut Family Child Care and Center-Based Care Providers
Joanna Meyer, Yale University, will share findings from a survey of Connecticut child care providers, specifically the association of provider characteristics—such as program type, subsidy enrollment, and community demographics—with perceptions of administrative burden related to participation in Care 4 Kids. In addition, she will present related findings from semi-structured provider interviews.
Understanding Provider Burden: How Policy Changes Affect Learning, Compliance, and Psychological Costs
Rebecca Frausel, Public Policy Associates, will discuss Michigan providers’ experiences of administrative burden in the Child Development and Care Scholarship program, with a focus on how recent changes to program payment rates and structures affected different types of providers and their program participation. She will also present a novel complexity coding scheme to assess the clarity of program communications, which highlights the importance of accessible information in reducing psychological costs.
Administrative Burden as a Predictor of Future Engagement with State Programs: Lessons from Illinois’ Smart Start Workforce Grant
Rose Geoghegan, The University of Chicago, will present research on Illinois providers’ experiences with administrative burden relating to child care subsidies and Covid-era grants, and whether these experiences affect providers’ willingness to engage with Smart Start Workforce Grants, which offer noncompetitive funding to providers meeting wage floor requirements.
Following the three presentations, Nathan Burroughs (American Institutes of Research) will provide overarching commentary before moderating a group discussion.