IFS/STICERD/UCL Development Work in Progress Seminar
The Effect of Center-Based Early Education on Disadvantaged Children's Developmental Trajectories: Experimental Evidence from Colombia
Michele Giannola (University of Naples/IFS), joint with Raquel Bernal and Milagros Nores
Thursday 07 November 2024 14:00 - 15:00
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About this event
Early childhood development is a global priority, yet questions remain about how best to support disadvantaged children in low- and middle-income countries. We study the impacts of high-quality, center-based early childhood education on low-income children in Colombia through a randomized controlled trial, tracking participants longitudinally over five years. The program has sustained, positive effects on children’s health - including a 22% reduction in stunting - and positive effects on their cognitive development, partly driven by improvements in children’s health and nutrition. These effects operate through the educational and nutritional components of the program, rather than through parental behavioral responses to the intervention. The cognitive gains do not persist in the last year of the study, as children from the control group progress earlier to primary school and catch-up, highlighting the importance of considering counterfactual care alternatives to understand the effects of preschool programs in low- and middle-income settings.
This seminar series is jointly organized by the IFS, STICERD, and UCL.
IFS/STICERD/UCL Development Economics Work In Progress seminars are held on Thursdays in term time at 14:00-15:00, at the IFS, unless specified otherwise.
Seminar organisers: Oriana Bandiera (STICERD, LSE), Imran Rasul (UCL), Britta Augsburg (IFS) and Jonathan Weigel (LSE).
For further information please contact Britta Augsburg: britta_a@ifs.org.uk.
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