One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers
Large systematic differences in young children’s home learning experiences have long-term economic consequences. Many parenting programs place significant demands on parents’ time and inundate parents with information. This study evaluates the effects of READY4K!, an eight-month-long text-messaging intervention for parents of preschoolers that targets the behavioral barriers to engaged parenting. We find that READY4K! increased parental involvement at home and school by 0.15 to 0.29 standard deviations, leading to child gains in early literacy of about 0.11 standard deviations. The results point to the salience of behavioral barriers to parenting and the potential for low-cost interventions to reduce these barriers.
-
-
Copy CitationBenjamin N. York and Susanna Loeb, "One Step at a Time: The Effects of an Early Literacy Text Messaging Program for Parents of Preschoolers," NBER Working Paper 20659 (2014), https://doi.org/10.3386/w20659.Download Citation
-
Published Versions
Benjamin N. York & Susanna Loeb & Christopher Doss, 2019. "One Step at a Time," Journal of Human Resources, vol 54(3), pages 537-566.
Related
Working Groups
Mentioned in the News
More from the NBER
In addition to working papers, the NBER disseminates affiliates’ latest findings through a range of free periodicals—the NBER Reporter, the NBER Digest, the Bulletin on Health, the Bulletin on the Economics of Alzheimer's, and the Bulletin on Entrepreneurship—as well as research spotlights, lectures, and panel videos.
