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Fostering early childhood development in low-resource communities: Evidence from a group-based parenting intervention in Tanzania

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  • Leighton, Margaret
  • Martine, Anitha
  • Massaga, Julius

Abstract

Group-based parent training programmes present an affordable means to influence the early experiences of children at scale. This paper reports evidence on the effectiveness of a practice-led intervention piloted in rural Tanzania evaluated through a matched control study design. The core of the programme is an 8–10 week caregiver training course led by local facilitators, built around early stimulation and nurturing care. After two years of implementation, the intervention led to improvements in the development of 3-year olds of 0.29 standard deviations. Detailed data on caregivers indicates that these improvements are due to changes in the type and frequency of caregiver-child interactions for both mothers and fathers, as well as the quality of play materials in the home.

Suggested Citation

  • Leighton, Margaret & Martine, Anitha & Massaga, Julius, 2023. "Fostering early childhood development in low-resource communities: Evidence from a group-based parenting intervention in Tanzania," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:170:y:2023:i:c:s0305750x23001535
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2023.106335
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Early child development; Child care policy; Parenting; Impact evaluation; Tanzania;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I25 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Economic Development
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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