Early childhood education effect on children’s vocabulary1

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of an Early Childhood Education program on children’s vocabulary. Using 2016 data from Petrolina, we compare children attending school to children not enrolled at the time of data collection. To account for selection bias, information from a parents’ assessment is used to create control variables associated with characteristics usually not observed by the researcher that are potentially correlated with children’s enrollment status and child development. Results show positive and statistically significant impacts on expressive vocabulary. There is also evidence that the program is more effective for children with lower reading exposure at home.