Longer programme duration: greater benefits for children’s cognitive and socioemotional development

This study examines the impact of a free childhood education programme on children’s cognitive and socioemotional development in two marginalized cantons in Ecuador: Guamote and Santa Elena. We divided children into three age categories: (i) 12 to 24 months, (ii) 25 to 36 months, and (iii) 36 months and older. The analysis compares children with different durations of programme exposure (treatment group) to those who had just entered the programme (control group) within the same categories. To address self-selection in programme exposure, we use propensity score matching estimators: kernel and nearest neighbourhood. In Santa Elena, the overall results indicate that the treatment effects on cognitive and socioemotional development are positive and statistically significant across all age categories. Longer programme exposure is associated with stronger treatment effects. In Guamote, the results are positive and statistically significant for children aged 12 to 24 and 25 to 36 months.