Pre-K and the Economics of Early Childhood Development

1
Pre-K and the Economics of Early Childhood
Development

• Pre-K as Economic Policy
• January 31, 2005
• W. Steven Barnett, Ph.D.
• National Institute for Early Education Research
• Copies and details available from www.nieer.org
• [phone], sbarnett_at_nieer.org

2
CT Faces Serious Challenges

• Strong economic growth
• Productivity competitiveness
• Educational achievement
• Future govt. commitments
• Ensuring a better future

3
Well-Estab. Benefits of Early Education

• Increased achievement
• Less grade repetition
• Less special education
• Increased educational attainment
• Increased earnings
• Less welfare dependency
• Reduced crime and delinquency

4
Other Likely Benefits of Early Education

• Less abuse and neglect
• Increased maternal employment and earnings (child
  care)
• Decreased health care costs and mortality

5
Three Benefit-Cost Analyses
6
Perry Preschool Educational Effects
7
Perry Economic Effects at Age 27
8
Perry Arrests per person by age 27
9
Abecedarian Reading Ach. Over Time
10
Abecedarian Math Achievement Over Time
11
CPC Academic and Social Benefits at School Exit
12
Economic Returns to Pre-K for Disadvantaged
Children

• Cost Benefits B/C
• Perry Pre-K 16,264 277,631 17.07
• Abecedarian 36,929 139,571 3.78
• Chicago 7,417 52,936 7.14

13
Educational Failure is Common for Middle Class
Children

• Middle class children have fairly high rates of
  the problems that Pre-K reduces for poor
  children.
• Income Retention Dropout
• Lowest 20 17 23
• 20-80 12 11
• Highest 20 8 3
• SourceUS Department of Education, NCES (1997).
  Dropout rates in the United States 1995.
  Figures are multi-year averages.

14
Cognitive Readiness Gap
15
Social Readiness Gap
16
(No Transcript)
17
(No Transcript)
18
Conclusions

• Pre-K is a sound economic investment
• Public Pre-K has no net cost to taxpayers
• Readiness is not just a poverty problem
• Access to Pre-K must be improved
• Pre-K must be high-quality to fully succeed