Childhood Resources and Inequality at School Entry in Australia, Canada, U.K. and U.S.

Bruce Bradbury, University of New South Wales
Miles Corak, Université d'Ottawa
Jane Waldfogel, Columbia University
Elizabeth Washbrook, University of Bristol

Children from lower-socioeconomic status (SES) families enter school with lower levels of school readiness than their more affluent peers. These SES gaps are greater in the US than in other similar countries (particularly Australia and Canada), suggesting that at least part of the explanation might arise from variations in national socioeconomic and policy environments. This paper will explore how these four countries compare in terms of the resources available to families with young children and how these patterns relate to the social policy context. The paper will include cross-national analysis of social expenditures and other policy indicators, as well as analysis of contextual factors such as child care experiences and parenting practices of children from different SES groups, using nationally-representative and newly-harmonized cohort studies of children and families.