Working Paper: NBER ID: w19735
Authors: Elizabeth U. Cascio; Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach
Abstract: President Obama's "Preschool for All" initiative calls for dramatic increases in the number of 4 year olds enrolled in public preschool programs and in the quality of these programs nationwide. The proposed program shares many characteristics with the universal preschools that have been offered in Georgia and Oklahoma since the 1990s. This study draws together data from multiple sources to estimate the impacts of these "model" state programs on preschool enrollment and a broad set of family and child outcomes. We find that the state programs have increased the preschool enrollment rates of children from lower- and higher-income families alike. For lower-income families, our findings also suggest that the programs have increased the amount of time mothers and children spend together on activities such as reading, the chances that mothers work, and children's test performance as late as eighth grade. For higher-income families, however, we find that the programs have shifted children from private to public preschools, resulting in less of an impact on overall enrollment but a reduction in childcare expenses, and have had no positive effect on children's later test scores.
Keywords: Preschool Education; Early Childhood Education; Child Outcomes; Family Well-Being
JEL Codes: I21; J22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Introduction of preschool programs in Georgia and Oklahoma (I21) | Increased preschool enrollment rates among children from lower-income families (I24) |
| Introduction of preschool programs in Georgia and Oklahoma (I21) | Shift from private to public preschools for higher-income families (I21) |
| Shift from private to public preschools (I21) | Increased preschool enrollment rates among higher-income families (I24) |
| Introduction of preschool programs in Georgia and Oklahoma (I21) | Reduced childcare expenses for families switching from private to public preschool (I21) |
| Shift from private to public preschool (I21) | Decline in children's later test scores for higher-income families (I24) |
| Introduction of preschool programs in Georgia and Oklahoma (I21) | Increased time mothers spend with children on educational activities for lower-income families (I24) |
| Introduction of preschool programs in Georgia and Oklahoma (I21) | Reduction in overall maternal time for lower-income families (J22) |