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Research ArticleArticle

One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers

Benjamin N. York, Susanna Loeb and Christopher Doss
Published online before print January 04, 2018, 0517-8756R; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.54.3.0517-8756R
Benjamin N. York
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ParentPowered Technologies.
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Susanna Loeb
Barnett Family Professor of Education at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.
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Christopher Doss
An Associate Policy Researcher at the RAND Corporation
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Abstract

Large systematic differences in young children’s home learning experiences have long-term economic consequences. Many parenting programs place significant demands on parents’ time and inundate parents with information. This study evaluates the effects of READY4K!, an eight-month-long text-messaging intervention for parents of preschoolers that targets the behavioral barriers to engaged parenting. We find that READY4K! increased parental involvement at home and school by 0.15 to 0.29 standard deviations, leading to child gains in early literacy of about 0.11 standard deviations. The results point to the salience of behavioral barriers to parenting and the potential for low-cost interventions to reduce these barriers.

JEL Codes
  • C93
  • D91
  • I21

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Journal of Human Resources: 60 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 60, Issue 3
1 May 2025
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One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers
Benjamin N. York, Susanna Loeb, Christopher Doss
Journal of Human Resources Jan 2018, 0517-8756R; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.54.3.0517-8756R

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One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers
Benjamin N. York, Susanna Loeb, Christopher Doss
Journal of Human Resources Jan 2018, 0517-8756R; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.54.3.0517-8756R
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  • Reducing Parent-School Information Gaps and Improving Education Outcomes: Evidence from High-Frequency Text Messages
  • Using Behavioral Insights to Increase Parental Engagement: The Parents and Children Together Intervention
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Keywords

  • C93
  • D91
  • I21
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