The Effect of Early Childhood Education on Adolescent Physical Health

• In Event: 66.053 - New Evidence on the Impacts of Early Childhood Interventions

Abstract

Despite the importance of early childhood experiences on children's academic and socioemotional development, very little is understood about the nature and timing of impacts of early childhood education on health. The current study uses quasi-experimental methods to examine the impact of preschool type, quality, and dosage at age 4 on neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and metabolic functioning during adolescence, measured in 9th grade. We capitalize on the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, a large scale study that has exceptional measurement of child care processes and direct assessments of adolescent health (n=844). Results indicate that children’s participation in center-based care and higher dosage, but not preschool quality, led to lower waking cortisol levels and reduced risk for cardiovascular disease.

Authors

• Terri J. Sabol, Institute for Policy Research - Northwestern University

• Lindsay Till Hoyt, University of California - Berkeley