Early learning opportunities of preschool children affected by migration in China.

• Children in rural areas have similar early learning opportunities, regardless of whether they live with both parents or are left behind in rural areas because of parental migration. • Children who migrate from rural to urban areas are more likely to be enrolled in preschool and experience more stimulating home learning environments than their peers in rural areas. • Migrant children have lower preschool enrolment rates and receive less stimulation at home than urban native children. This study considers how living arrangements among migrant families have affected young children in China and compares the early learning opportunities of urban migrant children and urban native children. We leveraged nationally representative data from the China Family Panel Studies (2012-2018). Participants were 4,306 three- to five-year-olds and their caregivers. They were classified into five groups, with three of them affected by migration. The sample included 1,357 children who had migrated along with their parents to urban areas; 253 children who were left-behind in rural areas with one parent; and 269 children who were left-behind in rural areas with a relative. An additional 1,595 children from non-migrant families living in rural areas and 832 urban native children served as comparison groups. After adjusting for selection bias through propensity score approaches, results indicated that, regardless of parental migration status, the early learning opportunities of children living in rural areas were similar. Migrating to urban areas was positively associated with stimulating home learning environments and the likelihood of preschool enrollment, but urban native children experienced more stimulating home learning environments and had higher preschool enrollment rates than migrant children. Implications of the findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]