From Birth to School: Early Childhood Programs and Third-Grade Outcomes in North Carolina

• In Event: Roundtable Session 32
  In Roundtable Session: Educational Policies Pursuing Equal Opportunity

Abstract

This study examines the community-wide effects of two programs implemented across North Carolina, Smart Start and More at Four, to provide support for children in their early years to help improve educational outcomes. We focus on the variation across counties and over time in the availability and penetration of these programs, to measure their effects on child academic outcomes in the third grade. We find that allocations to a county for each program had independent and cumulative positive effects on all of the academic outcomes addressed in our models. The positive impact most likely extends to spill-overs for non-participants, and is especially strong for higher-risk children. Our findings suggest that state investment in these programs is cost-effective.

Authors

• Helen F. Ladd, Duke University

• Clara G. Muschkin, Duke University

• Kenneth A. Dodge, Duke University