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Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency

Martha Bailey, Shuqiao Sun () and Brenden Timpe

No 2021-031, Working Papers from Human Capital and Economic Opportunity Working Group

Abstract: This paper evaluates the long-run effects of Head Start using large-scale, restricted 2000-2018 Census-ACS data linked to the SSA's Numident file, which contains exact date and county of birth. Using the county rollout of Head Start between 1965 and 1980 and age-eligibility cutoffs for school entry, we find that Head Start generated large increases in adult human capital and economic self-sufficiency, including a 0.65-year increase in schooling, a 2.7-percent increase in high-school completion, an 8.5-percent increase in college enrollment, and a 39-percent increase in college completion. These estimates imply sizable, long-term returns to public investments in large-scale preschool programs.

Keywords: Census; SSA; schooling completion; public investment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I20 J24 J60 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ure
Note: MIP
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (30)

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http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Bailey ... school-poor-kids.pdf First version, April 26, 2021 (application/pdf)
http://humcap.uchicago.edu/RePEc/hka/wpaper/Bailey ... school-poor-kids.pdf Online appendix (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency (2021) Downloads
Working Paper: Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency (2020) Downloads
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