Publication: Combining Preschool Teacher Training with Parenting Education: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial
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Published
2016-09
ISSN
Date
2016-10-07
Author(s)
Fernald, Lia C. H.
Kariger, Patricia
McConnell, Christin
Neuman, Michelle
Fraga, Eduardo
Editor(s)
Abstract
This paper evaluates a government program in Malawi, which aimed to improve quality at community-based childcare centers and complemented these efforts with a group-based parenting support program. Children in the integrated intervention arm (teacher training and parenting) had significantly higher scores in measures of language and socio-emotional development than children in centers receiving teacher training alone at the 18-month follow-up. However, the study finds no effects on child assessments at the 36-month follow-up. Significant improvements at the centers relating to classroom organization and teacher behavior in the teacher-training only arm did not translate into improvements in child outcomes at either follow-up. The findings suggest that, in resource-poor settings with informal preschools, programs that integrate parenting support within preschools may be more effective than programs that simply improve classroom quality.
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Citation
“Fernald, Lia C. H.; Ozler, Berk; Kariger, Patricia; McConnell, Christin; Neuman, Michelle; Fraga, Eduardo. 2016. Combining Preschool Teacher Training with Parenting Education: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial. Policy Research working paper,no. WPS 7817,Impact Evaluation series;; Policy Research Working Paper;No. 7817. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/25130 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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