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The Long-Run Effects of Early Childhood Education and Care—An Empirical Analysis Based on the China Family Panel Studies Survey

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Abstract

Although the positive effects of early childhood education care are gradually being recognized, formal enrollment of children under the age of 6 is still limited, and evidence of long-term effects has not been widely examined in China. Using a nationally representative dataset from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study examines the long-term effects of early childhood education and care (ecec) attendance in China on an adult sample over 18-year-olds. The results based on propensity score matching (PSM) analysis suggest that the experience of early childhood education and care enhances cognitive and noncognitive skills in adulthood. Evidence also shows that disadvantaged groups, such as females, those with lower parental education levels, and rural and remote residents, have larger benefits from attending early childhood education and care. Non-only children in China may also gain a wider range of benefits from ecec attendance. No evidence suggests superior personal income or intelligence. The results confirm the importance of ensuring access to early childhood education and care for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Policy implications are discussed and summarized at the end of the paper.

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Notes

  1. “Formal” includes ecec experience in at least one of the public or private nursery schools/kindergartens.

  2. In this study, we adopt the official region divisions of China with the eastern regions consisting of the provinces of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Liaoning, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong, and Hainan; the central region consisting of Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Shanxi, Heilongjiang and Jilin; and the western region consisting of Neimenggu, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang.

  3. OECD Statistics: Family Database. https://stats.oecd.org.

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Funding

This study was supported by the China Scholarship Council [Grant No.201906190037].

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  1. School of Government, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, China

    Shuang Yang

  2. Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan

    Shuang Yang

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Yang, S. The Long-Run Effects of Early Childhood Education and Care—An Empirical Analysis Based on the China Family Panel Studies Survey. Child Ind Res 14, 2021–2044 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-021-09839-8

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