Timing of Early Childhood Center–Based Care and Child Cognitive and Behavioral Outcomes: Evidence From Chile

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: International View of Early Childhood Policies

Abstract

Using a Chilean nationally representative dataset and latent-class analysis, we estimated different trajectories of center-based care attendance for children between 36 and 48 months. We find four distinct trajectories, which differ mainly on the timing of entry; logistic regressions suggest that the most educated mothers and those who suffered from depression after birth are the best predictors of early entry. Also, our results indicate that the earlier the entrance, the bigger the cognitive gains at four years old; additionally, there are no statistically significant effects with regards to externalizing behavior. These findings suggest that center-based care is an effective way to raise cognitive development during early childhood without significant negative consequences.

Author

• Marigen Narea, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile