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Universal pre-school education: the case of publicfunding with private provision

Author

Listed:
  • Blanden, Jo
  • Del Bono, Emilia
  • McNally, Sandra
  • Rabe, Birgitta

Abstract

This paper studies the effect of free pre-school education on child outcomes in primary school. We exploit the staggered implementation of free part-time pre-school for three-year-olds across Local Education Authorities in England in the early 2000s. The policy led to small improvements in attainment at age five, with no apparent benefits by age 11. We argue that this is because the expansion of free places largely crowded out privately paid care, with small changes in total participation, and was achieved through an increase in private provision, where quality is lower on average than in the public sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Blanden, Jo & Del Bono, Emilia & McNally, Sandra & Rabe, Birgitta, 2015. "Universal pre-school education: the case of publicfunding with private provision," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 62581, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:62581
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/62581/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gambaro, Ludovica & Stewart, Kitty & Waldfogel, Jane, 2013. "A question of quality: do children from disadvantagedbackgrounds receive lower quality early years educationand care in England?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 51274, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Michael Baker & Jonathan Gruber & Kevin Milligan, 2008. "Universal Child Care, Maternal Labor Supply, and Family Well-Being," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 116(4), pages 709-745, August.
    3. Esther Duflo, 2001. "Schooling and Labor Market Consequences of School Construction in Indonesia: Evidence from an Unusual Policy Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 795-813, September.
    4. Elizabeth U. Cascio & Douglas O. Staiger, 2012. "Knowledge, Tests, and Fadeout in Educational Interventions," NBER Working Papers 18038, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Heckman, James J. & Moon, Seong Hyeok & Pinto, Rodrigo & Savelyev, Peter A. & Yavitz, Adam, 2010. "The rate of return to the HighScope Perry Preschool Program," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1-2), pages 114-128, February.
    6. Dumas Christelle & Lefranc Arnaud, 2010. "Early schooling and later outcomes : Evidence from pre-school extension in France," THEMA Working Papers 2010-07, THEMA (THéorie Economique, Modélisation et Applications), Université de Cergy-Pontoise.
    7. Berlinski, Samuel & Galiani, Sebastian & Gertler, Paul, 2009. "The effect of pre-primary education on primary school performance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-2), pages 219-234, February.
    8. repec:cep:sticas:/171 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Datta Gupta, Nabanita & Simonsen, Marianne, 2010. "Non-cognitive child outcomes and universal high quality child care," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1-2), pages 30-43, February.
    10. Fitzpatrick Maria D, 2008. "Starting School at Four: The Effect of Universal Pre-Kindergarten on Children's Academic Achievement," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-40, November.
    11. Berlinski, Samuel & Galiani, Sebastian & Manacorda, Marco, 2008. "Giving children a better start: Preschool attendance and school-age profiles," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(5-6), pages 1416-1440, June.
    12. Tarjei Havnes & Magne Mogstad, 2011. "No Child Left Behind: Subsidized Child Care and Children's Long-Run Outcomes," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 3(2), pages 97-129, May.
    13. Birgitta Rabe & Mark Taylor, 2010. "Residential mobility, quality of neighbourhood and life course events," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 173(3), pages 531-555, July.
    14. Ludovica Gambaro & Kitty Stewart & Jane Waldfogel, 2013. "A question of quality: Do children from disadvantaged backgrounds receive lower quality early years education and care in England?," CASE Papers case171, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Childcare; child outcomes; publicly provided goods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H44 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Goods: Mixed Markets
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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