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Promoting Child Development in a Universal Preschool System: A Field Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Mari Rege
  • Ingunn Størksen
  • Ingeborg F. Solli
  • Ariel Kalil
  • Megan McClelland
  • Dieuwer ten Braak
  • Ragnhild Lenes
  • Svanaug Lunde
  • Svanhild Breive
  • Martin Carlsen
  • Ingvald Erfjord
  • Per S. Hundeland

Abstract

This study tests an intervention that introduces a structured curriculum for five-year olds into the universal preschool context of Norway. We conduct a field experiment with 691 five-year-olds in 71 preschools and measure treatment impacts on children’s development in mathematics, language and executive functioning. Compared to business as usual, the nine-month curriculum intervention has effects on child development at post-intervention and the effects persist one year following the end of the treatment. The effects are entirely driven by the preschool centers identified as low-quality at baseline, suggesting that a structured curriculum can reduce inequality in early childhood learning environments.

Suggested Citation

  • Mari Rege & Ingunn Størksen & Ingeborg F. Solli & Ariel Kalil & Megan McClelland & Dieuwer ten Braak & Ragnhild Lenes & Svanaug Lunde & Svanhild Breive & Martin Carlsen & Ingvald Erfjord & Per S. Hund, 2019. "Promoting Child Development in a Universal Preschool System: A Field Experiment," CESifo Working Paper Series 7775, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_7775
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    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo1_wp7775.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Frankenberg, Sofia, 2023. "The early childhood scaffolding scale Conceptual framework, operationalization and functionality," Working Paper Series 2023:21, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    universal preschool; intervention; randomized controlled trial; field experiment; child development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I20 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - General
    • H42 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - Publicly Provided Private Goods

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