The Effects of Universal Pre-K for Three-year-old Children on Mothers’ Employment and Families’ Economic Well-being

• In Event: The Economic Effects of Early Childhood Education on Parents and Children

Abstract

While evidence on the effects of publicly funded pre-kindergarten (pre-K) on maternal employment remains mixed, little is known about its broader impacts on families’ economic well-being. This study examines the effects of New York City’s 3-K for All (3K) initiative—a universal pre-K program for 3-year-olds—on maternal employment, income-to-needs ratio, and material hardship. Leveraging the staggered rollout of 3K across school districts, I employ a difference-in-differences framework and event-study design using data from the Early Childhood Poverty Tracker (2017–2023), a longitudinal survey of NYC families with young children. In the full sample, 3K availability was associated with a 3.7–percentage point increase in maternal employment and a 7.9–percentage point reduction in material hardship, with effects concentrated when children were age-eligible for 3K. No detectable effects were found on the income-to-needs ratio. Subgroup analyses reveal that partnered families experienced increases in maternal employment and reductions in material hardship. Several other subgroups—low-income families, families with younger children, and U.S.-born parents—also experienced declines in material hardship, even without significant gains in employment or income. These findings suggest that universal pre-K may enhance families’ consumption-based well-being through multiple pathways, not limited to increases in maternal labor supply or family income.

Author

• Eunho Cha, University of California, Irvine
  Presenting Author