Helping Parents Navigate the Early Childhood Education Enrollment Process: Experimental Evidence from New Orleans

Enrolling in publicly funded early childhood education involves searching for programs, applying, verifying eligibility, and registering with the program. Many families do not complete this process, despite demonstrated interest. In this study, we assessed support for families as they verify eligibi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational evaluation and policy analysis 2020-09, Vol.42 (3), p.307
Main Authors: Weixler, Lindsay, Valant, Jon, Bassok, Daphna, Doromal, Justin B, Gerry, Alica
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access to Information
Administrators
At Risk Students
Audits (Verification)
Barriers
Communication Strategies
Early Intervention
Educational Policy
Eligibility
Enrollment
Information Dissemination
Knowledge Level
Low Income Groups
Parents
Preschool Education
Program Effectiveness
School Registration
Telecommunications
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Summary:Enrolling in publicly funded early childhood education involves searching for programs, applying, verifying eligibility, and registering with the program. Many families do not complete this process, despite demonstrated interest. In this study, we assessed support for families as they verify eligibility as a means for increasing enrollment completion rates. Working with district administrators, we randomly assigned families to receive either (a) the district's usual, modest communications; (b) the usual communications plus weekly text message reminders with a formal tone; or (c) the usual communications plus weekly personalized, friendly text message reminders. Text message reminders increased verification rates by seven percentage points (regardless of tone), and personalized messages increased enrollment rates for some groups. Exchanges between parents and administrators revealed the obstacles parents confronted.
ISSN:0162-3737
DOI:10.3102/0162373720922237