Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development: Evidence from Head Start
- (pp. 111-34)
(Complimentary)
Abstract
This paper provides new evidence on the long-term benefits of Head Start using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. I compare siblings who differ in their participation in the program, controlling for a variety of pre-treatment covariates. I estimate that Head Start participants gain 0.23 standard deviations on a summary index of young adult outcomes. This closes one-third of the gap between children with median and bottom quartile family income, and is about 80 percent as large as model programs such as Perry Preschool. The long-term impact for disadvantaged children is large despite "fadeout" of test score gains. (JEL H52, J13, I28, I38)Citation
Deming, David. 2009. "Early Childhood Intervention and Life-Cycle Skill Development: Evidence from Head Start." American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 1 (3): 111-34. DOI: 10.1257/app.1.3.111Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H52 National Government Expenditures and Education
- I28 Education: Government Policy
- I38 Welfare and Poverty: Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
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