From Access to Achievement: The Primary School-Age Impacts of an At-Scale Preschool Construction Program in Highly Deprived Communities
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics · 2026 · Marina Bassi、Bruno Besbas、Lelys Dinarte-Diaz、Saravana Ravindran、Ana Reynoso
中文摘要
我们使用随机对照试验评估了莫桑比克极度贫困农村社区的一项大规模公立幼儿园建设项目。该项目将幼儿园入学率从2%提高到75%，改善了小学入学率和升学情况，并使处理组儿童在认知和社会情感技能测试中得分更高。影响在父母为文盲的儿童、较不贫困家庭的儿童以及居住在幼儿园附近的儿童中最为显著。我们提供证据表明，幼儿园建设对小学阶段的后续教育成功具有中介作用。我们还发现父母对子女的投资增加，且年幼同胞的幼儿园入学率提高。最后，我们估计该项目的实施具有成本有效性。 (JEL I21, I26, I32, J13, O15, O18)
Abstract
We evaluate a large-scale public preschool construction program in deprived rural communities in Mozambique using a randomized controlled trial. The program increased preschool enrollment from 2 to 75 percent, improved primary school enrollment and progression, and led treated children to score higher in cognitive and social-emotional skills tests. Impacts were strongest among children of illiterate parents, in less poor households, and living near preschools. We provide evidence that preschool construction mediates later educational success at primary school age. We also detect increased parental investment in children and higher preschool enrollment for younger siblings. Finally, we estimate the program was implemented cost-effectively. (JEL I21, I26, I32, J13, O15, O18)