This paper provides new estimates of the medium- and long-term impacts of Head Start on health and behavioral problems. We identify these impacts using discontinuities in the probability of participation induced by program eligibility rules. Our strategy allows us to identify the effect of Head Start for the individuals in the neighborhoods of multiple discontinuities. Participation in the program reduces the incidence of behavioral problems, health problems, and obesity of male children at ages 12 and 13. It lowers depression and obesity among adolescents, and it reduces engagement in criminal activities and idleness for young adults.
Authors
Research Fellow University College London
Pedro is a Professor of Economics at University College London and an economist in the IFS' Centre for Microdata Methods and Practice (cemmap).
Research Associate University of Bergen
Rita is an IFS Research Associate, an Associate Professor at the University of Bergen and a Research Associate at the Uppsala University.
Journal article details
- DOI
- 10.1257/pol.6.4.135
- Publisher
- American Economic Association
- JEL
- H52, I12, I21, I24, I28, I38, J13
- Issue
- November 2014
Suggested citation
Carneiro, P and Ginja, R. (2014). 'Long-Term Impacts of Compensatory Preschool on Health and Behavior: Evidence from Head Start' (2014)
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