HECKMAN STUDY: PRESCHOOL EDUCATION CAN BENEFIT GENERATIONS OF FAMILIES (2019)

PUBLISHED ON MAY 14, 2019

Early childhood education programs can impact life outcomes in ways that span generations, according to new research from Nobel laureate James Heckman. In a pair of companion papers released this week, the pioneering University of Chicago economist found that the children of those who participated in a landmark 1960s study still saw improvements in education, health and employment. The children saw such benefits without participating in the same preschool program as their parents—suggesting that early education can contribute to lasting upward mobility and help break cycles of poverty.

“For the first time, we have experimental evidence about how a case of early childhood education propagates across generations” - Prof. James Heckman

Heckman is the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor of Economics, whose groundbreaking work on the benefits of early childhood education has helped shape the field. Read the full story »