The Effects of Universal Preschool on Child and Adult Outcomes: A Review of Recent Evidence from Europe with Implications for the United States

Abstract

Public preschool programs can be universal, open to all age-eligible children, or targeted, with eligibility limited to children from lower-income families. The effects on children of targeted programs have been intensively studied in the US, with results showing substantial beneficial impacts on child development and subsequent adult outcomes for disadvantaged children. However, there is little reliable evidence on the medium and long run effects of universal preschool programs in the US. This paper reviews studies from Europe that have exploited quasi-experimental variation to estimate the causal impact of universal public preschool eligibility and enrollment on child and adult outcomes. The evidence shows that these programs provide substantial short and long run benefits to disadvantaged children, but relatively modest benefits to more advantaged children. The implications of the European evidence for the issue of universal versus targeted programs in the US are discussed.