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Effects of a Large-Scale Program for the Construction of Daycare and Preschool Centers on Cognitive Skills and Female Employment

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Effects of a Large-Scale Program for the Construction of Daycare and Preschool Centers on Cognitive Skills and Female Employment
Language: English
Authors: Marcelo Castro, Breno da Cruz
Source: Education Economics. 2024 32(6):786-811.
Availability: Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Childhood Education, Educational Facilities, Labor Force, Employed Women, Construction Programs, Academic Achievement, Program Evaluation
Geographic Terms: Brazil
DOI: 10.1080/09645292.2023.2254516
ISSN: 0964-5292
1469-5782
Abstract: This paper assesses the impacts of a large-scale program aimed at constructing daycare and preschool centers in Brazil named Proinfância, which funded new buildings in nearly 45% of the municipalities between 2008 and 2017. We find a significant increase in early education care in the jurisdictions that participated in the program more than a decade after it had started: 4 percentage points in the attendance rate for infants aged up to three and six percentage points for children aged 4 to 5. However, the improvements in public schools' scores in 'Prova Brasil', which is a national exam for elementary school children, are small (at most 1%). Despite this, the program significantly helped increase female labor force participation, especially considering low-educated workers, but also with a small magnitude (1 percentage point). The results suggest that a faster increase in the coverage of public infant education would lead to more pronounced effects on children's development and female participation in the workforce.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1448103
Database: ERIC
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Abstract:This paper assesses the impacts of a large-scale program aimed at constructing daycare and preschool centers in Brazil named Proinfância, which funded new buildings in nearly 45% of the municipalities between 2008 and 2017. We find a significant increase in early education care in the jurisdictions that participated in the program more than a decade after it had started: 4 percentage points in the attendance rate for infants aged up to three and six percentage points for children aged 4 to 5. However, the improvements in public schools' scores in 'Prova Brasil', which is a national exam for elementary school children, are small (at most 1%). Despite this, the program significantly helped increase female labor force participation, especially considering low-educated workers, but also with a small magnitude (1 percentage point). The results suggest that a faster increase in the coverage of public infant education would lead to more pronounced effects on children's development and female participation in the workforce.
ISSN:0964-5292
1469-5782
DOI:10.1080/09645292.2023.2254516