Where to Put the Kids? Effects of Type of Non-Parental Child Care on Pre-Teen Skills and Risky Behavior
46 Pages Posted: 24 Jul 2011
Abstract
This paper investigates pre-teenage effects of the choice of type of non-parental child care at age three (preschool relative to more informal family day care). We exploit a Danish panel data child survey merged with administrative records along with a pseudo-experiment that generates variation in the take-up of preschool across municipalities. As outcomes, we consider measures of overall and risky behavior in addition to objective and self-evaluated abilities. We find no strong evidence that one type of non-parental care outperforms the other, though children who have been placed in preschool tend to like school better.
Keywords: child care, skills, risky behaviors, evaluation
JEL Classification: J13
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation