TY - JOUR T1 - One Step at a Time JF - Journal of Human Resources JO - J Hum Resour SP - 537 LP - 566 DO - 10.3368/jhr.54.3.0517-8756R VL - 54 IS - 3 AU - Benjamin N. York AU - Susanna Loeb AU - Christopher Doss Y1 - 2019/07/01 UR - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/54/3/537.abstract N2 - 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. ER -