Preschool for all? Enrollment and maternal labour supply implications of a bilingual preschool policy

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Abstract

Previous research supports the effectiveness of preschool in various contexts, yet there is limited evidence whether universal-type preschool policies induce changes in enrollment. While certain states have enacted universal preschool policies, some have also considered bilingual preschool mandates, either as a supplementary or stand-alone policy, requiring schools to open up bilingual classrooms for children from non-English speaking families. The question of whether bilingual preschool policies can induce enrollment and close achievement gaps between English learners and English speakers is particularly important today for urban cities and states with large immigrant populations. In this study, I exploit exogenous variation from the first bilingual prekindergarten mandate in Illinois to estimate the causal effects on preschool enrollment and maternal labour supply of recently immigrated and Hispanic families. Utilizing a difference-in-differences strategy, estimates suggest significant effects on preschool enrollment between 18% and 20% and no effects of increasing maternal labour supply in Illinois. Estimates are robust to various specifications, control groups, and timeframes. I use the analysis to further discuss whether universal preschool policies are designed sufficiently for access and inclusion of various student types, and contribute to our understanding on the effectiveness of using childcare subsidies to increase the welfare of low-income families.

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Relevant Evidence Summaries

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About this study

AGE: Multiple Age Groups

DIRECTION OF EVIDENCE: Positive impact

FULL TEXT AVAILABILITY: Paid

HOST COUNTRY: United States

HOST COUNTRY INCOME: High

INTERVENTION DURATION: Data used was from 2008-2013.

INTERVENTION: Bilingual preschool requirement in Illinois (2009)

POPULATION: Immigrants

REGION OF ORIGIN OF PARTICIPANT(S): Multiple Regions

STRENGTH OF EVIDENCE: Moderate

TYPE OF STUDY: Impact evaluation

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2019

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