The effect of preschool participation on intellectual and behavioral disorder diagnoses: Evidence from surveys on children’s health

Jessica Monnet

Economics of Education Review, 2019, vol. 68, issue C, 136-147

Abstract: This paper examines the effect of preschool participation on the probability of ever being diagnosed with certain intellectual and behavioral disorders in childhood. To study this relationship, I use two-sample two-stage least squares where I instrument for preschool participation using an indicator for the availability of universal preschool. Using data from the National Survey of Children’s Health and the Current Population Survey October Supplement, I find suggestive evidence that high-quality preschool participation disproportionately benefits children from low-education households. That is, for children from low-education households, I observe that preschool participation reduces the probability of ever having been diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems, and requiring the use of special therapy. For children from high-education households, however, I observe that preschool participation increases the probability of ever having been diagnosed with behavioral or conduct problems, and requiring the use of special therapy.

Keywords: Universal preschool; Early childhood education; Behavioral disorders; Intellectual disorders; Human capital; Cognitive skill; Non-cognitive skill (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H40 I10 I21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:68:y:2019:i:c:p:136-147

DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2018.12.003

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