Study Overview
The theoretical case for universal pre-primary education is strong. However, the empirical foundation is less so. In this paper, we contribute to the empirical case by investigating the effect of a large expansion of universal pre-primary education on subsequent primary school performance in Argentina. We estimate that one year of pre-primary school increases average third grade test scores by 8% of a mean or by 23% of the standard deviation of the distribution of test scores. We also find that pre-primary school attendance positively affects student’s self-control in the third grade as measured by behaviors such as attention, effort, class participation, and discipline.
Study Results
Our evidence suggests that expanding pre-primary education is an effective instrument to improve long-term academic performance. In addition, it provides a more benign interpretation to the maternal work literature that claims that separating children from their mothers early in life is detrimental to cognitive development. Specifically, it is not separating young children from their mothers that matters, but rather what the children do during separation. Our results imply that separating children age 3-5 from their mothers can have positive effects if they are placed in a high quality pre-primary education setting.
Intervention: Pre-primary school education