The Multigenerational Impact of Children and Childcare Policies

This paper examines the multigenerational impact of children and whether the public provision of formal childcare lessens the earnings and employment impacts of children. We find that the arrival of a firstborn reduces employment and earnings of mothers and employment of grandmothers. Studying a universal childcare program in Quebec, we find formal childcare increases the employment rates of mothers, as well as that of grandmothers to a lesser extent. Examining heterogeneity of the program's impact across Census Divisions, we find a negative correlation between the positive effects on mothers' employment and the pre-policy supply of informal childcare by grandmothers.