Fly View Productions/Getty Images
Universal pre-K has long been thought to boost children's lives and futures, but a new study suggests parents could also reap the benefits of free and early education for their kids.
Economists found that parents who had the opportunity to enroll their children in a universal pre-K program in Connecticut saw increased earnings by about 21% while their kids were in the program, as well as persistent gains for up to six years after.
The study, published in the National Bureau of Economic Research this month, looked at a New Haven pre-K program that provides six and a half hours of free schooling each day to three and four-year-olds, as well as wraparound childcare before and after school.
Parents who were lucky enough to win the school lottery saw several positive economic benefits, according to researchers. In addition to increased wages over time, those whose kids enrolled in the program also got an average of 12 more working hours each week, the study found.
"Parents whose kids have access to reliable, high-quality child care in the pre-K period are more likely to work during that period, and they work more hours," wrote economist Emily Oster in her ParentData newsletter. "This extra work allows them to get on a steeper career path."
The authors of the study similarly chalk it up to career continuity.
"This means that even though everyone eventually ends up working the same number of hours, the group that was able to invest in their career early have higher wages and therefore more income," Oster added.
Historically, parents haven't been required to send their kids to school until Kindergarten in most states. But in recent years, a growing number of municipalities have begun offering schooling for children as young as 3.
Supporters of universal pre-K say the concept gives kids an equal starting position heading into school and opens them up to educational opportunities at a younger age. Opponents, however, point to the high costs associated with providing free childcare.
Several studies in recent years have recorded some of the benefits for kids, including 2021 research that found children who attended universal pre-K are more likely to graduate high school and attend college. The study also pointed to positive behavioral impacts for those students.
The positives go beyond academics, too. A 2017 study found that universal pre-K helps more kids access healthcare, such as earlier detection and treatment for conditions like asthma and hearing and vision problems.
Affordable childcare and universal pre-K could also flush billions of dollars back into the US economy, a 2022 study from left-leaning think tank The Century Foundation found.
President Joe Biden included universal pre-K in the Build Back Better Act, which failed to garner Congressional support back in 2021. The legislation would have allowed three million more parents to either enter the labor force or increase their working hours, the Century Foundation report found.
The new study out of New Haven notably did not find any evidence that universal pre-K programs improve students' future test scores — a finding in line with prior research that suggests the biggest benefits are more long-term, Oster noted in her newsletter.
"In the end: from an economic standpoint, the biggest value to universal pre-K may be that it helps parents return to the labor force and make a better life for their families in the short and long run," Oster wrote. "And of course, that's also good for kids."
