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.