Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency | Zendy

Martha Bailey | Zendy; Shuqiao Sun | Zendy; Brenden Timpe | Zendy

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Prep School for Poor Kids: The Long-Run Impacts of Head Start on Human Capital and Economic Self-Sufficiency

Author(s) -

Martha Bailey,

Shuqiao Sun,

Brenden Timpe

Publication year - 2021

Publication title -

american economic review

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 16.936

H-Index - 297

eISSN - 1944-7981

pISSN - 0002-8282

DOI - 10.1257/aer.20181801

Subject(s) - economics , human capital , head start , head (geology) , labour economics , capital (architecture) , economic growth , psychology , geography , developmental psychology , biology , archaeology , paleontology

This paper evaluates the long-run effects of Head Start using large-scale, restricted administrative data. Using the county roll-out of Head Start between 1965 and 1980 and age-eligibility cutoffs for school entry, we find that Head Start generated large increases in adult human capital and economic self-sufficiency, including a 0. 65-year increase in schooling, a 2.7 percent increase in high school completion, an 8.5 percent increase in college enrollment, and a 39 percent increase in college completion. These estimates imply sizable, long-term returns to investments in means-tested, public preschool programs. (JEL I21, I26, I28, I38, J24)

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