AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
The Impacts of Childcare Interventions on Children's Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 114,
May 2024
(pp. 463–66)
Abstract
Center-based childcare programs are expanding rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. The impacts of these programs on women's labor market outcomes are consistently positive, but what are the impacts on children's developmental outcomes? We systematically review 71 studies of center-based childcare interventions that report impacts on children and find that most (93 percent of studies and 81 percent of estimates) have positive point estimates. Girls tend to benefit more than boys, but poorer children do not consistently benefit more or less than wealthier children. These results are consistent across experimental and quasi-experimental studies.Citation
Evans, David K., Pamela Jakiela, and Amina Mendez Acosta. 2024. "The Impacts of Childcare Interventions on Children's Outcomes in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 114: 463–66. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20241015Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- I18 Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
- I28 Education: Government Policy
- J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration