Footnote:
Nach Informationen von SSRN wurde die ursprüngliche Fassung des Dokuments November 2021 erstellt
Description:
In this paper we evaluate the effects of free pre-kindergarten (Pre-K) programs on thelabor force participation of mothers. We use variation in Pre-K rules across all U.S.states, including income eligibility requirements in some states. To estimate the causaleffects of access to pre-K on labor supply we exploit the panel aspect of the monthlyCurrent Population Survey between 2002-2019. Specifically we look at the change inlabor market behavior of women when their child becomes age-eligible for Pre-K, controlling for individual factors. We find that access to free Pre-K programs increasesoverall maternal LFP by 2.3 percentage points. In particular, we find that motherswith the following demographic characteristics significantly increase their labor supplyas a result of an access to free Pre-K: married, college educated, White non-Hispanic,residents of metropolitan areas, and those with income either below 200 percent orabove 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Our results are robust across aseries of placebo tests and alternative specifications and sample restrictions