Exploring caregiver and child time use and the influence of livelihoods and childcare services

• In Event: Two Generation Approaches to Supporting Early Childhood Development

Proposal

Over the past year, IPA has conducted a series of formative research studies focused on key questions related to two generation approaches. In this presentation we will briefly highlight findings from research on the association between caregiver mental health and child development and the ability of ECD intervention to address SES gaps in LMICs, as well as do a more indepth look at the results of a time use study.
Most primary caregivers in rural African households are women and studies have shown that they are time-poor and spend a large part of their time caring for their children and households (Blackden & Canagarajah, 2003; Arora, 2015). It has also been hypothesized that intensive livelihoods interventions that target women and aim to improve child outcomes may exacerbate time poverty and take time away from childcare (Johnston et al., 2018). A study in rural Ghana found that time spent on childcare did not differ between households participating vs. not participating in an integrated livelihoods intervention (Goh et al., 2021; Goh et al, 2022).
In this study we adapt the data collection protocol used in Goh et al (2021) to investigate caregivers and children’s time use in refugee and host communities in Uganda’s West Nile Region. All households participating in the study have a child attending an early childhood education center for four hours a day, providing some childcare. Half of the households in the study are participating in a comprehensive anti-poverty intervention including multiple components.
The study investigates a range of interrelated research questions concerning different household members’ time and activities across childcare, livelihoods, and income generating activities. It explores how participation in an anti-poverty program might influence caregivers’ time for childcare and the quality of caregiver-child interactions. Additional burdens on caregivers’ time may affect the quantity or quality of caregiver-child interactions or both. In-home observations and comparisons of participating vs. non-participating caregivers' time allocation to different responsibilities and specific time for childcare practices that the caregiver completes, and the child receives will be informative and highly beneficial for designing and improving future livelihood interventions in extremely vulnerable settings. Additional questions this study will answer include how much time children spend in the care of other children, how much time fathers or other male caregivers spend with children, and which livelihoods and other income generating activities do caregivers spend multitasking with childcare.

Authors

• Vianney Mbonigaba, Innovations for Poverty Action

• Sarah Kabay, Innovations For Poverty Action