shows specific variables
for the matched and unmatched samples. The unmatched columns
in Table 2 show the socio-demographic differences between children who attended public ECCE programs and those who did not.
For example, children who attended ECCE came from less poor
districts than children who did not participate in such programs.
At the family level, children who attended ECCE had, on average,
parents with higher levels of formal education than those children who did not attend ECCE. Table 2 also displays the balance
achieved after the propensity score matching. In the matched sample, it is possible to observe how treated and non-treated children
share similar socio-demographic features. As Table 2 shows, differences decreased significantly after the matching procedure. In the
majority of pre-treatment variables the difference between covariates was non-significant (p > 0.01), with the exception of parental
education.