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Effects of a large-scale program for the construction of daycare and preschool centers on cognitive skills and female employment

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  • Marcelo Castro
  • Breno da Cruz

Abstract

This paper assesses the impacts of a large-scale program aimed at constructing daycare and preschool centers in Brazil named Proinfância, which funded new buildings in nearly 45% of the municipalities between 2008 and 2017. We find a significant increase in early education care in the jurisdictions that participated in the program more than a decade after it had started: 4 percentage points in the attendance rate for infants aged up to three and six percentage points for children aged 4 to 5. However, the improvements in public schools' scores in ‘Prova Brasil’, which is a national exam for elementary school children, are small (at most 1%). Despite this, the program significantly helped increase female labor force participation, especially considering low-educated workers, but also with a small magnitude (1 percentage point). The results suggest that a faster increase in the coverage of public infant education would lead to more pronounced effects on children's development and female participation in the workforce.

Suggested Citation

  • Marcelo Castro & Breno da Cruz, 2024. "Effects of a large-scale program for the construction of daycare and preschool centers on cognitive skills and female employment," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(6), pages 786-811, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:edecon:v:32:y:2024:i:6:p:786-811
    DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2023.2254516
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