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Research on early childhood education outcomes Click on “source information” below section titles to view study details. Click the study titles to go directly to the source. |
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The Public Policy Forum welcomes comments and suggestions of additional studies to be included in this matrix. Please contact us at: adickman@publicpolicyforum.org Researched and designed by Elizabeth Drilias, research intern of the Public Policy Forum.
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Longitudinal Studies |
Cognitive |
Behavioral |
Sociability |
Educational |
External Benefits to Society and more taxes generated) |
Benefit-Cost Ratio |
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Does prekindergarten improve school preparation and performance? |
positive effects on cognitive skills that fade after first grade but are more persistent for disadvantaged children |
increased aggressive behavior seen for pre-kindergarten participation |
increased aggressive behavior seen in pre-kindergarten participants |
improved math and reading skills seen for pre-kindergarten participants |
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Comparative benefit-cost analysis of the Abecedarian program and its policy implications |
positive effects on IQ were seen through age 21 |
no statistically significant effect on crime |
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reduced grade retention; reduced special education enrollment; increased HS completion; higher rate of 4 year college attendance |
reduced welfare use; higher lifetime earnings for program participants; greater labor force participation by mothers of program participants |
2.5 to 1 benefit-cost ratio for Abecedarian program |
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Benefits and costs of investments in preschool education: Evidence for the Child-Parent Centers and related programs |
mentions "cognitive advantage" provided by Child-Parent Centers |
reduced crime |
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Child Parent Centers: reduced grade retention, increased high school completion rates |
reduced crime costs; higher earnings for program participants |
benefit-cost ratios for Child-Parent Centers range from 5.98 to 1 to 10.15 to 1 |
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The Benefits and Costs of Head Start (2007) Ludwig, Jens & Deborah Phillips |
positive effects for ages 3 and 4 |
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implies that there would be positive impacts on test scores and reduced grade retention |
“plausible case that short-term effects on achievement scores might be large enough for Head Start to pass a benefit-cost test” |
Long-term benefits to society are estimated to be positive. |
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The High/Scope Perry Preschool Program: Cost-Benefit Analysis Using Data from the Age-40 Follow-up |
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lower crime rates for program participants |
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increased educational achievement for program participants |
increased tax revenue from increased wages; reduced societal costs due to crime; mixed effects of welfare use |
12.9 to 1 benefit-cost ratio (benefits to general public divided by cost of program) |
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Early Intervention and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention: Evidence from the Chicago Longitudinal Study |
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reduced juvenile delinquency seen for Child-Parent Centers |
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First Year Findings and others |
small positive effects on some test measures. |
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improvement in problem behaviors, but no significant effects for other social measures |
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Sustained Effects of High Participation in an Early Intervention for Low-Birth-Weight Premature Infants |
positive and lasting IQ effects |
no statistically significant effects on behavioral competence |
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Modeling the Impacts of Child Care Quality on Children's Preschool Cognitive (2003) NICHD Early Child Care Research Network & Greg J. Duncan |
Increased cognitive test scores when family and maternal characteristics are controlled for. |
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child temperament used as a control variable. |
one standard deviation change in quality of care-giving environment is associated with an increase in achievement scores |
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Age 21 Cost-Benefit Analysis of the |
positive effects on cognitive skills seen at kindergarten entry |
reduced juvenile arrests for program participants |
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reduced grade retention, reduced special education enrollment, increased HS completion, increased test scores |
increased lifetime earnings; effects on welfare participation were not estimated |
7.14 to 1 benefit-cost ratio (measured and projected benefits); |
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The Relation of Preschool Child-Care Quality to Children's Cognitive and Social Developmental Trajectories through Second Grade |
positive and lasting effects on cognitive and attention skills are seen for high quality child care |
reduced problem behavior seen in participants in high quality preschools |
improved social skills for children with early relationships with caregivers |
long-term improvement in language and math ability associated with high quality early childhood care |
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Cognitive and School Outcomes for High-Risk African-American Students at Middle Adolescence: Positive Effects of Early Intervention |
positive and lasting effect on IQ |
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no statistically significant effects of preschool on behavior or social development |
improved test scores and reduced likelihood of grade retention for preschool participants |
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The Effects of Early Education Intervention on Maternal Employment, Public Assistance, and Health Insurance: The Infant Health Development Program |
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no significant effect on maternal education |
increased labor force participation by program mothers; increased use of public assistance and health care services |
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Reviews and Meta-analyses |
Cognitive |
Behavioral |
Sociability |
Educational |
External Benefits to Society and more taxes generated) |
Benefit-Cost Ratio |
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Early Childhood Education For All: |
positive effect on IQ and achievement for Abecedarian participants |
reduced crime rates seen for children receiving quality early childhood education |
improved social skills seen in children participating in high quality early childhood care |
reduced special education enrollment and grade retention, improved school readiness and language and number skills |
increased earnings for program participants will lead to increased income tax revenue; decreased welfare use is also seen for program participants |
up to a 13 to 1 benefit-cost ratio |
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The Productivity Argument for Investing |
positive effect on IQ for girls in very early intervention Abecedarian program |
reduced crime and delinquency; improved behavior; motivation and self-control |
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improved achievement test scores, reduced grade retention and special education enrollment, increased high school graduation rates |
increased employment and reduced welfare dependence for participants of some early childhood programs |
benefit-cost ratios are 9 to 1 for Perry and 8 to 1 for Chicago CPC |
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Early Childhood Research Digest #2 |
positive IQ and developmental effects that tend to fade over time |
reduced delinquency for Perry Preschool and Chicago Child Parent Centers; inconclusive results for general state programs |
improved social competence |
reduced grade retention; increased graduation rates for high quality, intensive programs only |
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The Universal vs. Targeted Debate: Preschool for All? |
positive effects on cognitive development seen for preschool children |
reduced crime is an hypothesized effect of quality preschool |
improved social development and school readiness for children in high quality preschool |
mixed achievement effects; decreased grade retention |
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A New Framework for Assessing the Benefits of Early Education: A Working Paper by the Committee for Economic Development |
positive IQ effects that fade over time |
reduced crime rates seen for preschool participants |
increased likelihood of healthy, socially positive behaviors in preschool participants |
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increased tax revenue as a result of higher wages; reduced use of welfare or other income assistance programs |
Perry: 5.6 to 1 benefit-cost ratio (using 5% discount rate); Abecedarian: 2.2 to 1 benefit-cost ratio (using 5% discount rate) |
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Predicting Children's Competence in the Early School Years: A Meta-Analytic Review |
positive effect on IQ is seen for time spent in high quality child care |
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A Critical Meta-analysis of All Evaluations of State-Funded Preschool from 1977 to 1998: Implications for Policy, Service Delivery and Program Evaluation |
short-term positive effects on cognitive development |
no statistically significant effects (for most programs) |
no significant positive effects on social development |
most evaluations show statistically significant improvement on academic achievement tests |
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Long-term effects of early childhood programs on cognitive and school outcomes |
large positive effects on IQ through early childhood |
long-term reduced delinquency and crime |
improved socialization seen |
decreased grade retention; increased HS graduation; reduced special education enrollment |
reduced crime; reduced welfare use |
7.2 to 1 benefit-cost ratio |
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Effects of Early Intervention on Intellectual and Academic Achievement: A Follow-Up Study of Children from Low-Income Families |
positive and lasting effects on IQ for Abecedarian program, other programs did not show lasting IQ improvement |
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preschool is hypothesized to improve social development |
reduced special education enrollment; reduced grade retentions |
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Cross-sectional studies |
Cognitive |
Behavioral |
Sociability |
Educational |
External Benefits to Society and more taxes generated) |
Benefit-Cost Ratio |
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How much is too much? The influence of preschool centers on children's social and cognitive development |
positive effects on reading and math scores |
reduced delinquency for children participating in Chicago Child-Parent Centers |
increased negative behavioral effects found for preschool participants |
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The Effects of Universal Pre-K on Cognitive Development |
positive effects on IQ and achievement test scores |
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