Participants
This study utilized data from a larger research project that examines
the effects of having access to subsidized childcare for low-income
families. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Child
Services division at the City of Toronto. ECEC subsidies in
Toronto are allocated to low-income parents who work or study full-time.
A total of 297 families had data points from both prior to COVID-19
(when children were 30-42 months) and during COVID-19 waves of data
collection, which was collected from May to November 2020 (approximately
two years post their prior wave of data collection). Of these, eight
were fathers and therefore removed. The final sample size used for
analysis was 289 low-income mothers of young children. The mothers in
this study were largely low-income, with 41.7% making below $40,000 a
year, significantly less than the average household of families living
in the city of Toronto ($104,378.00; City of Toronto, 2018). Almost
half the mothers in the sample were married (58.5%), spoke English as a
second language (43.0%) and had the highest education level of below a
B.A. (54.0%). Mothers identified as Black (33.7%), White (31.2%),
Asian (24.7%) or an ‘Other’ category (10.4%). The study received
approval from the (Removed for Review) ethics board.