Working Paper: NBER ID: w9954
Authors: Susanna Loeb; Bruce Fuller; Sharon Lynn Kagan; Bidemi Carrol; Judith Carroll; Jan McCarthy
Abstract: Young children in poor communities are spending more hours in non-parental care due to policy reforms and expansion of early childhood programs. Studies show positive effects of high-quality center-based care on children's cognitive growth. Yet we know little about the effects of center care typically available in poor communities or the effects of home-based care. Using a sample of children age 12 to 42 months when their mothers entered welfare-to-work programs, this paper finds positive cognitive effects for children in center care. Children also display stronger cognitive growth when caregivers are more sensitive and responsive, and stronger social development when providers have education beyond high school. Children in family child care homes show more behavioral problems but no cognitive differences.
Keywords: child care; cognitive development; social development; welfare reform; low-income families
JEL Codes: I0; I2; I3
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| home-based care (D13) | cognitive development (O11) |
| center care (I11) | cognitive development (O11) |
| caregiver responsiveness (J13) | cognitive growth (O40) |
| child care type and quality (J13) | children's development (J13) |