Feasibility study into evaluating the labour and childcare market impacts of tax-free childcare and the free early education entitlement

This document is a feasibility study by Frontier Economics that assesses the impacts of the UK's Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) and Free Early Education Entitlement (FEEE) policies on the labor and childcare markets. The study examines existing evidence, discusses potential impacts, and explores methodological approaches for evaluation, highlighting the challenges of finding suitable comparison groups and accounting for confounding factors. It suggests using both quantitative and qualitative methods to measure the effectiveness of childcare policies in supporting parental employment and influencing the childcare market. The document reviews various evaluation methodologies, such as difference-in-difference and matching approaches, and considers data sources like the Labour Force Survey for their strengths and limitations. It emphasizes the importance of qualitative evidence and structural modeling to complement quantitative findings and notes the challenges of data constraints and the need for long-term data collection. The study concludes that robust data is lacking, but qualitative input from providers could improve understanding of policy effects, and it provides references and contact information for further research. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Impact evaluation; Process evaluation
• Impact methods: Quasi-experimental method
• Quasi-experimental methods: Difference-in-difference
• Process methods: Surveys and polling
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: February 2016

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes