Effects of center‐based child care on disadvantaged children: Evidence from a randomized research design
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management · 2026 · Chris M. Herbst
中文摘要
本文利用“综合儿童发展计划”(Comprehensive Child Development Program, CCDP) 中贫困家庭被随机分配至处理组与控制组的设定, 估计参加机构式托育对儿童福祉的影响。CCDP 实施于 20 世纪 90 年代初, 旨在通过向处理组家庭提供 5 年高质量托育服务及个案管理, 改善儿童发展与家庭功能。其结果是, 处理组儿童在整个学龄前阶段就读机构式项目的可能性大幅更高, 我利用这一变异来估计机构托育对儿童语言技能、社交技能以及健康的影响。本文发现效果不一: 在机构式环境中度过更多时间能提高语言技能, 但会在短期内降低社交技能, 且对大多数儿童而言, 这两种效应会在 1 至 2 年内消退。我还发现, 早期使用机构托育对日后进入“开端计划”(Head Start) 具有很强的预测性, 这表明更有意识设计的“家庭保留策略”或许能有效延长儿童接受高质量早期教育的时间。
Abstract
Abstract This paper uses the random assignment of poor families to treatment and control conditions in the Comprehensive Child Development Program (CCDP) to estimate the effects of center‐based child care enrollment on child well‐being. Implemented in the early‐1990s, the CCDP aimed to improve child development and family functioning by offering those in the treatment group 5 years of high‐quality child care along with case management. As a result, treated children were substantially more likely to be enrolled in center‐based programs throughout the preschool‐age years, and I use this variation to estimate the impact of center care on children's language and social skills as well as health. I uncover mixed results: More time spent in center‐based settings improves language skills but reduces social skills in the short run, and both effects fade out for most children within 1 to 2 years. I also find that early center care use is strongly predictive of later Head Start enrollment, indicating that a more deliberate “family retention strategy” may be effective at extending children's exposure to high‐quality early education.