Abstract
Preschool has direct effects on attendees, but less is known about how public preschool expansions targeted to low-income children affect early educational experiences and school readiness in a broader community. We use Virginia administrative data (~630,000 students) and a discrete increase in targeted public pre-K (Virginia Preschool Initiative Plus [VPI+]) to estimate the effects of means-tested pre-K expansion on preschool participation patterns and school readiness. VPI+ expansion decreased the probability that children spend no time in licensed settings (6–7 percentage points), increasing the probability for public pre-K and private centers (5–8 and 2–3 percentage points, respectively). Kindergarten literacy skills improve (5%–6% of SD). Effects are larger among the target population but shared broadly (perhaps through private centers). These previously unmeasured benefits inform future policy and research.
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