Early Childhood Education Programs

TLDR

The study aims to evaluate early childhood education programs, outlining their goals, effectiveness, optimal timing, targeting, content, costs, and benefits. The authors analyze these programs by reviewing their objectives, effectiveness, timing, targeting, content, costs, and benefits. Early intervention produces significant short‑ and medium‑term benefits, especially for disadvantaged children, reducing grade repetition, special education costs, and improving child‑care quality; some model programs also boost educational attainment, earnings, and lower welfare dependency and crime, though the long‑term impact of Head Start remains uncertain but could be cost‑effective if it achieves a quarter of the gains seen in model programs.

Abstract

This paper discusses early childhood education programs: their goals; effectiveness; optimal timing, targeting, and content; and costs and benefits. Early intervention has significant short- and medium-term benefits: most notably it reduces grade repetition and special education costs, and provides quality child care. The effects are greatest for more disadvantaged children. Some model programs have produced exciting improvements in educational attainment and earnings and have reduced welfare dependency and crime. The jury is still out on the long-term effects of Head Start, but Head Start would pay for itself if it produced a quarter of the long-term gains of model programs.