PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Cascio, Elizabeth U.
TI  - Does Universal Preschool Hit the Target?
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.58.3.0220-10728R1
DP  - 2023 Jan 01
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 1--42
VI  - 58
IP  - 1
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/58/1/1.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/58/1/1.full
SO  - J Hum Resour2023 Jan 01; 58
AB  - This study examines the cost efficacy of universal programs, taking advantage of the rich diversity in rules governing access to state-funded preschool in the United States. Using age-eligibility rules for identification, I find that attending a state-funded universal preschool generates substantial immediate test score gains, particularly for low-income children. Gains for low-income children from attending targeted (largely means-tested) preschool are significantly smaller. Cross-state differences in alternative care options, demographics, and other program features cannot explain the difference in attendance impacts across program types. Benefit-to-cost ratios of universal programs are favorable despite their relatively high costs per low-income child.