Does Universal Preschool Hit the Target?: Program Access and Preschool Impacts

Elizabeth Cascio

Journal of Human Resources, 2023, vol. 58, issue 1, 1-42

Abstract: This study examines the cost efficacy of universal programs, taking advantage of the rich diversity in rules governing access to state-funded preschool in the United States. Using age-eligibility rules for identification, I find that attending a state-funded universal preschool generates substantial immediate test score gains, particularly for low-income children. Gains for low-income children from attending targeted (largely means-tested) preschool are significantly smaller. Cross-state differences in alternative care options, demographics, and other program features cannot explain the difference in attendance impacts across program types. Benefit-to-cost ratios of universal programs are favorable despite their relatively high costs per low-income child.

JEL-codes: H75 I24 I28 J13 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
Note: DOI: 10.3368/jhr.58.3.0220-10728R1
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Does Universal Preschool Hit the Target? Program Access and Preschool Impacts (2017)
Working Paper: Does Universal Preschool Hit the Target? Program Access and Preschool Impacts (2017)
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