The Role of Preschool Quality in Promoting Child Development: Evidence from Rural Indonesia

41 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Amer Hasan

Amer Hasan

World Bank

Sally Brinkman

The University of Western Australia

Haeil Jung

Indiana University Bloomington - School of Public & Environmental Affairs (SPEA)

Angela Kinnell

The University of Western Australia

Nozomi Nakajima

Harvard University - Harvard Graduate School of Education

Menno Prasad Pradhan

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics; University of Amsterdam - Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB)

Date Written: January 5, 2016

Abstract

This paper reports on the quality of early childhood education in rural Indonesia. On average, the paper finds that centers created under the Indonesia Early Childhood Education and Development Project provide higher quality services than other types of preschools, as measured by a comprehensive instrument of preschool quality based on direct observation of classrooms in session (the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised). The paper also examines the relationship between preschool quality and children's early development using three commonly applied measures of quality: (i) the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised; (ii) teacher characteristics; and (iii) structural characteristics of preschool services, such as their size and amount of class time. First, correcting for measurement error using an instrumental variables approach, the findings suggest that preschool quality is a significant and meaningful positive predictor of children's developmental outcomes. Second, the findings for teacher characteristics are mixed, suggesting that policies focused solely on hiring teachers based on experience and training will be insufficient to improve children's learning. Instead, policies must address the quality of professional development activities for teachers. Third, the amount of class time spent in early childhood programs is a significant positive predictor of children?s developmental outcomes. This suggests that in rural Indonesia?where early childhood programs are relatively low dose?children are likely to benefit from attending longer hours of preschool, either playgroups or kindergartens. Lastly, the paper compares items in the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised with Indonesia's national minimum service standards for early childhood education and development, and finds that the relationship between this alternative, context-appropriate measure of preschool quality and children?s development outcomes strongly corroborates the earlier conclusions.

Keywords: Early Child and Children's Health, Education For All, Education for Development (superceded), Nutrition, Reproductive Health, Educational Populations, Early Childhood Development

Suggested Citation

Hasan, Amer and Brinkman, Sally and Jung, Haeil and Kinnell, Angela and Nakajima, Nozomi and Pradhan, Menno, The Role of Preschool Quality in Promoting Child Development: Evidence from Rural Indonesia (January 5, 2016). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7529, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2741184

Amer Hasan (Contact Author)

World Bank ( email )

1818 H Street NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States

Sally Brinkman

The University of Western Australia

35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

Haeil Jung

Indiana University Bloomington - School of Public & Environmental Affairs (SPEA) ( email )

1315 East Tenth Street
Bloomington, IN 47405
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.indiana.edu/~spea/faculty/jung-haeil.shtml

Angela Kinnell

The University of Western Australia ( email )

35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
Australia

Nozomi Nakajima

Harvard University - Harvard Graduate School of Education ( email )

6 Appian Way
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Menno Pradhan

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, School of Business and Economics ( email )

De Boelelaan 1105
Amsterdam, 1081HV
Netherlands
+31(0)20 444 6137 (Phone)
+31(0)20 444 6127 (Fax)

University of Amsterdam - Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) ( email )

Roetersstraat 11
Amsterdam, 1018 WB
Netherlands

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