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Strengthening Benefit-Cost Analysis for Early Childhood Interventions Workshop Summary (2009) / Chapter Skim
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3 Analyzing Costs
Pages 17-22

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From page 17...
... RESOURCES AND COSTS OF REPLICATION Levin indicated that studies of early childhood education rarely mea sure the associated costs thoroughly or accurately. First, many studies rely on budget figures, which are usually developed prior to actual expenditures, are not necessarily corrected after the fact, and rarely account for the true costs of the resources involved.
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From page 18...
... Shadow prices also need to be calculated for any required resource for which there is not a competitive market equivalent. With all of this information, one can calculate total costs for a given enrollment goal, as well as the marginal costs that would be applicable if the program were to grow.
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From page 19...
... In general, the program's administrative data are of high quality; line-item budget information is available for every center, as well as reports from the independent quality assurance inspections (the program uses the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale, Revised Edition, ECERS-R;1 see FPG Child Development Institute, 2009b)
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From page 20...
... asking a panel of experts to make judgments. Belfield applied three of these in his cost analysis of the Abbott Preschool Program (he deemed the professional judgment panel insufficiently reliable)
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From page 21...
... Teacher salaries are the largest cost for preschool programs, so more understanding of the labor market TABLE 3-1 Cost per Child of the Abbott Preschool Program for 2008-2009 Average Range (variation by district) Public $12,650 $8,920–$15,290 Private $14,500 $11,720–$17,680 Overall average $13,090 $7,940–$16,780 NOTE: The lower end of the overall average is lower than that for the public range because it includes some nonpublic and nonprivate centers -- that is, Head Start centers that have been modified.
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From page 22...
... or standardized discount rates, would encourage decision makers to take a more detailed look at costs.
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Key Terms

  • abbott preschool
  • cost analysis
  • cost estimating
  • program design
  • program features

  • education costs
  • childhood education
  • overall average
  • transportation costs
  • costs vary

  • public school
  • market prices
  • levin explained
  • successful programs
  • marginal costs

  • child development
  • cost function
  • largest cost
  • measuring cost
  • using cost

  • streamline cost
  • include direct
  • include transportation
  • current market
  • prospective market

  • cost feasibility
  • reflected include
  • state standards
  • local labor
  • market changes


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