Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Gaps in school readiness explain about half of later disparities in school achievement. One understudied contributing factor to school readiness is the role of maternal employment, and in particular, how precarious employment, unpredictable or uncertain work, which has increased in recent decades, is linked with child wellbeing. Using employment calendar data (N=2012) from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal birth cohort dataset of largely low-income, urban mothers, this study examines whether maternal non-standard work (evening, night, shift/changing schedule work) in early childhood and work schedules and hours volatility (changes within and between jobs) are linked with behavioral and cognitive outcomes at the start of kindergarten. I employ three different methodological approaches to account for selection. I find no evidence that schedule or hours changes within or across jobs are associated with school readiness. I find modest evidence to suggest that swing shift work is associated with more externalizing and internalizing behavior, and night work is associated with poorer verbal/literacy skills.