Gertler,Paul (Author), Heckman,James (Author), Pinto,Rodrigo (Author), Zanolini,Arianna (Author), Vermeerch,Christel (Author), Walker,Susan (Author), Chang,Susan M. (Author), and Grantham-McGregor,Sally (Author)
Format:
Pamphlet
Publication Date:
June 2013
Published:
National Bureau of Economic Research
Location:
African American Research Center, Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Notes:
58 p., Shows large effects on the earnings of participants from a randomized intervention that gave psychosocial stimulation to stunted Jamaican toddlers living in poverty. The intervention consisted of one-hour weekly visits from community Jamaican health workers over a 2-year period that taught parenting skills and encouraged mothers to interact and play with their children in ways that would develop their children's cognitive and personality skills. Study participants were re-interviewed 20 years after the intervention. Findings show that psychosocial stimulation early in childhood in disadvantaged settings can have substantial effects on labor market outcomes and reduce later life inequality.
Draws on qualitative data exploring the experiences of first-generation middle-class Black Caribbean-heritage parents, their own parents, and their children. Focuses on the different ways in which race and class intersect in shaping attitudes towards education and subsequent educational practices.
