Poster #157 - Setting Children up for Success: An Evaluation of Community-Based Preschools in Northern Uganda

• In Event: 2-002 - Special Poster Session 05 with Continental Breakfast Reception
  In Poster Session: PS 05 - International Section

Integrative Statement

While countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa have seen significant increases in primary school enrollment over the past ten years, children in these contexts often enter school later than the targeted age and enter with severe developmental delays (Grantham-McGregor, 2007). Evidence from both developed and developing countries shows strong, positive impacts of early childhood interventions including improvements in the number of children entering primary school, the age at which they enter school, retention in school, and performance in school (Engle et al., 2007).

In developing countries, it is essential to implement interventions that aim to improve the developmental outcomes of young children and to measure the impact of these interventions to ensure they meet the needs of children in these contexts. The purpose of this evaluation was to measure the impact of a network of community-based preschools in the West Nile region of Uganda on children’s language, social, and early literacy skill development as compared to children who did not attend preschool living in the same communities and children who attended private preschools in the city center. Specifically, the evaluation aimed to answer the following research questions:

1. What is the impact of community-based preschools on children’s early childhood outcomes as compared to students who did not attend preschool living in the same communities?
2. What is the difference in early childhood outcomes between children attending community-based preschools in rural settings and children attending private preschools in the city center?

It was hypothesized that children attending community-based schools would outperform children who did not attend preschool, but lived in the same communities and that children attending private preschools would outperform children attending community-based preschools and children who did not attend preschool. This study employed a non-equivalent comparison group design to evaluate the difference in levels of cognitive and social development between these three groups of children. The sample included 56 children attending community-based preschools, 57 children who did not attend preschool, and 34 children who attended private preschools in the city center.

To measure communication, problem-solving, and social skills, researchers used the Ages and Stages Questionnaire, Third Edition (ASQ-3). To assess letter identification skills, researchers used the Rapid Letter Name Assessment (D. Fuchs et al., 2001). Children were also asked to complete a series of tasks related to concepts of print (e.g., front and back cover of a book, direction of print) to assess emergent literacy skills. To collect relevant demographic characteristics, researchers administered a household questionnaire to each child participant’s primary caregiver. This questionnaire included a sample of items from the Children Under Five portion of UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS; UNICEF, 2018).

Preliminary results of the evaluation indicate that children attending community-based preschools out-performed children who did not attend preschool and performed at a similar level to children attending private preschools in the city center. This poster will provide an overview of this evaluation, including methods, results, and implications for practice and future research on early childhood education in developing countries.

Authors

• Alyssa Van Camp, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author

• Joseph Wehby, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
  Non-Presenting Author