The Long-Term Effects of Pre-Kindergarten on Teen Births

This study explores the role of human capital investments in reducing teen birth rates, focusing on the impact of pre-kindergarten (pre-K) education. Using geographic and temporal variations in the rollout of North Carolina's pre-Kindergarten program, we examine how exposure to pre-K in early childhood affects the likelihood of teen childbearing. We found that a 10-percentage-point increase in coverage was associated with a 0.55 percentage-point (4.8%) decrease in teen childbearing for eligible cohorts. The effects were higher in low-income counties. Our results suggest that public investments in early childhood education contributed to 20% of the overall decline in teen births. While high school graduation was unchanged for girls, we show that improved academic achievement accounts for almost a third of the observed effects on teen births.