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The role of grandparenting in early childcare and child outcomes

Author

Listed:
  • Daniela Boca

    (University of Turin
    CEPR
    IZA
    CHILD Collegio Carlo Alberto)

  • Daniela Piazzalunga

    (IZA
    CHILD Collegio Carlo Alberto
    FBK-IRVAPP)

  • Chiara Pronzato

    (University of Turin
    IZA
    CHILD Collegio Carlo Alberto)

Abstract

This paper examines the short and medium term impact of early childcare provision by grandparents and formal care settings on child cognitive outcomes, using data from the Millennium Cohort Study (UK). Compared with children placed in formal childcare, children cared for by their grandparents are better at naming objects, but perform worse on tests of basic concept development and non-verbal reasoning. These results mask strong heterogeneities. On the one hand, the positive association between grandparental care and child outcomes is stronger for children from more advantaged households; on the other, the negative association is only significant for those from more disadvantaged households. The results of OLS estimations used for our analysis are confirmed using panel methods and an instrumental variable approach.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniela Boca & Daniela Piazzalunga & Chiara Pronzato, 2018. "The role of grandparenting in early childcare and child outcomes," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 16(2), pages 477-512, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:reveho:v:16:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s11150-017-9379-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11150-017-9379-8
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    Cited by:

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    2. Eiji Yamamura, 2021. "View about consumption tax and grandchildren," Papers 2102.04658, arXiv.org.
    3. Meroni, Elena Claudia & Piazzalunga, Daniela & Pronzato, Chiara D., 2018. "Use of Extra-School Time and Child Behaviours: Evidence from the UK," IZA Discussion Papers 11606, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Stans, Renske A., 2022. "Short-run shock, long-run consequences? The impact of grandparental death on educational outcomes," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    5. Elena Claudia Meroni & Daniela Piazzalunga & Chiara Pronzato, 2017. "Use of Extra-School Time and Child Non-Cognitive Development. Evidence from the UK," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201732, University of Turin.
    6. Karsten Hank & Giulia Cavrini & Giorgio Gessa & Cecilia Tomassini, 2018. "What do we know about grandparents? Insights from current quantitative data and identification of future data needs," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 225-235, September.
    7. Elena Claudia Meroni & Daniela Piazzalunga & Chiara Pronzato, 2022. "Allocation of time and child socio-emotional skills," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 1155-1192, December.
    8. Yun Liang & John Gibson, 2017. "Do More Grandchildren Lead to Worse Health Status of Grandparents? Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey," Working Papers in Economics 17/18, University of Waikato.
    9. Greta Morando & Lucinda Platt, 2022. "The Impact of Centre‐based Childcare on Non‐cognitive Skills of Young Children," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 89(356), pages 908-946, October.
    10. Elena Claudia Meroni & Daniela Piazzalunga & Chiara Pronzato, 2019. "Use of extra-school time and child behaviour," FBK-IRVAPP Working Papers 2019-02, Research Institute for the Evaluation of Public Policies (IRVAPP), Bruno Kessler Foundation.
    11. Eiji Yamamura & Fumio Ohtake, 2023. "Family Structure, Gender and Subjective Well-being: Effect of Child ren before and after COVID 19 in Japan," Papers 2312.04411, arXiv.org.
    12. Francesca Fiori, 2020. "Maternal employment and the well-being of children living with a lone mother in Scotland," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(57), pages 1685-1738.
    13. Cobb-Clark Deborah A. & Harmon Colm & Staneva Anita, 2021. "The bilingual gap in children's language, emotional, and pro-social development," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 10(1), pages 1-41, January.
    14. Francesca Zanasi & Bruno Arpino & Valeria Bordone & Karsten Hank, 2023. "The prevalence of grandparental childcare in Europe: a research update," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 1-9, December.
    15. Barschkett, Mara & Spieß, C. Katharina & Ziege, Elena, 2021. "Does Grandparenting Pay off for the Next Generations? Intergenerational Effects of Grandparental Care," IZA Discussion Papers 14795, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Claire Crawford & Laura Outhwaite, 2023. "Why should we invest in Early Childhood Education and Care?," CEPEO Briefing Note Series 24, UCL Centre for Education Policy and Equalising Opportunities, revised Mar 2023.
    17. Jing Zhang & Simon Appleton & Lina Song & Bing Liu, 2021. "Who Looks after the Kids? The Effects of Childcare Choice on Early Childhood Development in China," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 83(3), pages 619-640, June.
    18. Jim Been & Anne C. Gielen & Marike Knoef & Gloria Moroni, 2022. "Prolonged worklife among grandfathers: Spillover effects on grandchildren's educational outcomes," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 22-033/V, Tinbergen Institute.
    19. Barschkett, Mara & Spieß, C. Katharina & Ziege, Elena, 2021. "Intergenerational Effects of Grandparental Care on Children and Parents," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242397, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    20. Labriola, Silvia & Pronzato, Chiara, 2018. "The determinants of children's use of extra-school time in Europe," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201809, University of Turin.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Grandparents; Childcare; Child cognitive outcomes;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education

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