Indiana University SPEA Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy University of Pennsylvania AIR American University

Panel Paper: Long-Term Effects of Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) Program on Education and Labor Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Control Trial

Thursday, November 12, 2015 : 8:30 AM
Brickell North (Hyatt Regency Miami)

*Names in bold indicate Presenter

Darwin Cortes1, Juan Gallego1, Dario Maldonado2, Nathalie Charpak3, Juan Gabriel Ruiz4, Rejean Tessier5, Jose Tiberio Hernandez2, Luis Felipe Uriza4, Fracoise Maheu6 and Jorge Marin7, (1)Universidad del Rosario, (2)Universidad de los Andes, (3)Kangaroo Foundation, (4)Universidad Javeriana, (5)Université de Laval, (6)Université de Montreal, (7)FHIUSJ
We evaluate long-term effects of KMC on several education and labor outcomes of preterm or low weight children born in 1993 in Bogotá. We take advantage of an RCT that randomly assigned these children to either incubator or KMC. We find that KMC children enrolled longer in preschool and had less temporary school absence. In addition, KMC individuals that are already in the labor market earn higher wages than their counterparts. We also find that, on average, KMC children obtain worse scores in Math and Language exams. This negative result is concentrated in the more premature children. This is compatible with the initial findings using this RCT that show that KMC program protect the more vulnerable children.

Full Paper: