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Froebel's Gifts: How the Kindergarten Movement Changed the American Familiy

Author

Listed:
  • Philipp Ager
  • Francesco Cinnirella

Abstract

Nineteenth-century social reformers promoted the establishment of kindergartens as a remedy for the problems associated with industrialization and immigration. We evaluate the impact that the rollout of the first kindergartens in American cities had on mothers and their children. Consistent with the predictions of a quantity-quality trade-off model, immigrant families exposed to kindergartens significantly reduced fertility. Their offspring at age 10-15 were more likely to attend school, they worked less, and as adults, they had fewer children. We also unveil positive language spillover effects of kindergarten education on immigrant mothers illustrating the importance of kindergartens for social integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Philipp Ager & Francesco Cinnirella, 2020. "Froebel's Gifts: How the Kindergarten Movement Changed the American Familiy," CESifo Working Paper Series 8504, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_8504
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp8504.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Giuliano, Paola & Tabellini, Marco, 2020. "The Seeds of Ideology: Historical Immigration and Political Preferences in the United States," CEPR Discussion Papers 14784, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    kindergarten education; fertility transition; child labor; school attendance; quantity-quality trade-off;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • N31 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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