News and Announcements
December 7, 2022
CHICAGO â The University of Chicagoâs Center for the Economics of Human Development (CEHD) has selected Casa Central as its community partner in an ambitious home visiting program that will support Chicago families. The program aims to strengthen parentsâ capacity to support their childâs early learning and skill developmentâthe foundation for success in life. Together, CEHD and Casa Central are partnering with Irish program Preparing for Life (PFL) to adapt and implement its proven Dublin-based home visiting program in Chicago. The new Chicago Home Visiting Partnership Project will provide comprehensive supportâincluding prenatal education, evidence-based parenting programs and case managementâfrom pregnancy until age five. Casa Central will take the lead in serving families with home visitors trained in the PFL model. PFL will provide ongoing consultation, while CEHD researchers will evaluate outcomes to gain a better understanding of which supports and services most effectively promote healthy child development. CEHD is directed by James J. Heckman, a Nobel prize-winning economist who has studied the impact of early childhood interventions for decades. Casa Centralâs commitment to serving Chicago communities and transforming lives dates back to 1954. The organization provides comprehensive, well-regarded community services, including early education and support for families. After a multi-step selection process, Casa Central was selected from a pool of 18 potential partners. âWe are delighted to be working with Casa Central. Their mission, vision, and community- and family- centric approach aligns so well with our aims. This new initiative will make a difference in the lives of Chicago children [âŚ]
August 29, 2022
Research that refines measures of resources and well-being passed from parents to their children shows that current estimates of intergenerational mobility may be substantially overstated.
August 18, 2022
CEHD is hiring a driven, mission-oriented Scientific Project Manager to support its variety of research projects. This is a dynamic, impactful position of high responsibility with a wide-ranging variety of work.
November 19, 2021
The Build Back Better spending package passed by the House of Representatives early Nov. 19 funds free preschool and other provisions that add up to âthe largest investment in child care in the nationâs history.â The economic rationale for that investment is based on a body of research from Director James J. Heckman and colleagues, including recent work by coauthors associated with CEHD.
August 17, 2021
A group of infants and toddlers in Jamaica who received developmental stimulationâvia home visits and nutritional supportâcontinue to show benefits from this intervention as adults three decades later, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
July 21, 2021
Highlighting recent research on the long-lasting benefits of the Perry Preschool Project, an American Public Radio Marketplace story made the case Investing in early childhood education is an effective way to create a more equitable society. The story cited research from Jorge Luis GarcĂa, Frederik H. Bennhoff, Duncan Ermini Leaf, and James Heckman that used real life-cycle data on program participants, their siblings, and their children to produce more accurate estimates of the return on investment of such programs.
July 19, 2021
With free universal preschool â part of the proposed American Families Plan â âyouâre creating a ladder into the middle class,â CEHD director Prof. James J. Heckman told the New York Times. The story cited the Center’s long-running research on the Perry Preschool Program that shows quality early childhood education can lead to greater earnings, higher levels of education and less criminal activity.
June 15, 2021
On Monday, June 21, Professor Heckman participated in a virtual book launch for Jan Tinbergen and the Rise of Economic Expertise, a new volume on Tinbergen, the first Nobel Prize winner in Economics, and his “crucial contribution is the theory of economic policy and the legitimation of economic expertise in service of the state.”
June 7, 2021
CEHD Director James Heckman, Associate Director Alison Baulos, and Research Associate Jin Zhou have contributed a chapter to the recently published book, The Scale-Up Effect in Early Childhood and Public Policy: Why Interventions Lose Impact at Scale and What We Can Do About It.
May 6, 2021
Alejandra Campos is a Predoctoral Fellow at CEHD. During her tenure at CEHD, she has helped study the intergenerational impact of the Perry Preschool Project, and has worked on a project that aims to improve the quality of childcare centers in Indiana. Her research interests include human capital, early childhood development, education, and skills formation. She received her master’s degree in economics in 2017, her honors thesis analyzed the relationship between road infrastructure and education outcomes in Colombia.