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Age at Preschool Entrance and Noncognitive Skills before School - An Instrumental Variable Approach

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  • Martin Schlotter

Abstract

We estimate the effect of age at preschool entrance on crucial noncognitive skills in the year before school starts. Using an instrumental variable approach and exploiting cut-off dates for the time at preschool entrance we find that children entering preschool earlier in life have better noncognitive skills in terms of being more assertive and being more able to form friendships. Hence, our results offer general empirical evidence for the non-linearity in the skill formation process. Moreover they show that entering preschool at an early age is an important prerequisite for the development of social school readiness.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Schlotter, 2011. "Age at Preschool Entrance and Noncognitive Skills before School - An Instrumental Variable Approach," ifo Working Paper Series 112, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ifowps:_112
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    Cited by:

    1. Martin Schlotter & Ludger Wößmann, 2010. "Frühkindliche Bildung und spätere kognitive und nichtkognitive Fähigkeiten: deutsche und internationale Evidenz," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 79(3), pages 99-120.
    2. Lange, Simon & von Werder, Marten, 2017. "Tracking and the intergenerational transmission of education: Evidence from a natural experiment," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 59-78.
    3. Bauernschuster, Stefan & Schlotter, Martin, 2015. "Public child care and mothers' labor supply—Evidence from two quasi-experiments," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-16.
    4. C. Katharina Spieß, 2011. "Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf – wie wirksam sind deutsche „Care Policies“?," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 12(s1), pages 4-27, May.
    5. Sophia Schmitz, 2020. "The Impact of Publicly Funded Childcare on Parental Well-Being: Evidence from Cut-Off Rules," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 36(2), pages 171-196, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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