The long-run impacts of the first kindergartens and day nurseries for poor children in early 20th century New York

Summary, in English

The paper evaluates the long-run impact of having access to the first kindergartens and day nurseries for poor and immigrant children in early 20th century New York. To address this question, we geo-reference the locations of day nurseries and kindergartens operating between 1883 and 1924 in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan and combine it with a sample of males residing in these boroughs in 1900, 1910, and 1920 linked to themselves in 1940. We assign treatment to individuals if they have not reached age seven and live in an enumeration district close to a kindergarten or day nursery (within 350 meters) when it first appears. Our event-study analysis shows that access to kindergartens and day nurseries with an education component leads to more years in school. Treated individuals are also less likely to work in low-skilled occupations as adults. We show that these results are exclusively driven by children from immigrant households. The role of acquiring English proficiency appears to be an important factor explaining our results. Moreover, minorities (African Americans) with access to institutions offering early childhood education specifically tailored to their needs show large gains in schooling and labor market outcomes later in life.

• Author: Viktor Malein; Philipp Ager
• Publishing year: 2022
• Language: English
• Links: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DaxJxHVNyufngE_a5H77DlKx3MoihBza/view
• Document type: Other
• Topic: Economic History
• Status: Unpublished