A key policy question in evaluating social programs to address childhood poverty is how families receiving unconditional financial support would spend those funds. Economists have limited empirical evidence on this topic in the U.S. We provide causal estimates of financial and time investments...

This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study to examine whether family instability is associated with changes in perceived social support, material hardship, maternal depression, and parenting stress among mothers of young children. In addition to accounting for the...

It has become normative for children to attend some type of early education before entering kindergarten; yet, gaps in enrollment suggest that children from low-income families, who might benefit the most from such services, remain the least likely to receive them. The public sector engages in...

Child care and early education policies may not only raise average achievement but may also be of special benefit for less advantaged children, in particular if programs are high quality. We test whether high quality child care is equalizing using rich longitudinal data from two comparison...

In this article, we use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten Cohort to analyze the links between preschool attendance and the school readiness of children of immigrants. Copyright (c) 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association.

In this article, we use data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey-Kindergarten Cohort to analyze the links between preschool attendance and the school readiness of children of immigrants. Copyright (c) 2006 Southwestern Social Science Association.