Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/141515 
Year of Publication: 
2016
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 9756
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Exploiting admission thresholds in a Regression Discontinuity Design, we study the causal effects of daycare at age 0–2 on cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes at age 8–14. One additional month in daycare reduces IQ by 0.5% (4.5% of a standard deviation). Effects for conscientiousness are small and imprecisely estimated. Psychologists suggest that children in daycare experience fewer one-to-one interactions with adults, which should be particularly relevant for girls who are more capable than boys of exploiting cognitive stimuli at an early age. In line with this interpretation, losses for girls are larger and more significant, especially in affluent families.
Subjects: 
daycare
childcare
child development
cognitive skills
non-cognitive skills
JEL: 
J13
I20
I28
H75
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
998.71 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.