Maternal and infant factors associated with excess kindergarten costs
Jeffrey Roth1, David N Figlio, Yuwen Chen
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, PO Box 100296, Gainesville, FL 32610-0296, USA.
Insights
Infant birth weight and maternal education significantly impact kindergarten educational costs. Addressing poverty and improving maternal education can lead to substantial savings in special education resources.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Educational Economics
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Educational costs are influenced by various socioeconomic and health factors.
- Early identification of at-risk children can inform resource allocation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate excess kindergarten educational costs associated with infant and maternal factors identifiable at birth.
- To inform policy decisions for resource allocation in early education.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of birth and kindergarten records for over 120,000 Florida children born between 1990-1991.
- Calculated state costs based on regular classroom allocation and special education/retention weights.
Main Results:
- Over 25% of children required special education. Very low birth weight (<1000g) increased costs by 71%, and low birth weight (1000-1499g) by 49%.
- Family poverty, congenital anomalies, low maternal education, and lack of prenatal care also significantly increased costs.
- Family poverty and low maternal education accounted for over 75% of excess costs.
Conclusions:
- Reducing low birth weight and improving maternal education levels can yield significant savings in kindergarten educational expenditures.
- Policy recommendations must consider risk factor prevalence, potential cost savings, and amelioration costs.
- Utilizing birth-related information can aid resource allocation for school districts and state agencies.
Objective:
To estimate the excess educational costs at kindergarten from infant and maternal factors that are reported routinely at birth.
Methods:
Birth and school records were analyzed for all children who were born in Florida between September 1, 1990, and August 31, 1991, and entered kindergarten from 1996 through 1999 (N = 120,554). Outcome measure was cost to state, derived from base allocation for students in regular classrooms plus multiplier weights for those who were assigned to 8 mutually exclusive special education categories or who repeated kindergarten.
Results:
More than one quarter of the study cohort was found to be assigned to special education classes at kindergarten. Regression model estimates indicated that children who were born at <1000 g (n = 380) generated 71% higher costs in kindergarten than children who were born at >or=2500 g. Children who were born at 1000 to 1499 g (n = 839) generated 49% higher costs. Other birth conditions, independent of birth weight, were associated with higher kindergarten costs: family poverty (31%), congenital anomalies (29%), maternal education less than high school (20%), and no prenatal care (14%). Because of their prevalence, family poverty and low maternal education accounted for >75% of excess kindergarten costs. If 9% of infants who weighed between 1500 and 2499 g (n = 1027) could be delivered at 2500 g, then the state of Florida potentially could save 1 million dollars in kindergarten costs. Savings of a similar magnitude might be achieved if 3% of mothers who left school without a diploma (n = 1528) were to graduate.
Conclusions:
Any policy recommendation aimed at reducing education costs in kindergarten must take into consideration 3 factors: the prevalence of risk conditions whose amelioration is desired, the potential cost savings associated with reducing those conditions, and the costs of amelioration. Projecting these costs from information that is available at birth can assist school districts and state agencies in allocating resources.
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