Improving Early Childhood Development in Brazil: A Pilot Study of a Digital Parenting Program

• In Event: Digital Early Childhood Development Interventions in Latin America

Abstract

Introduction: Brazil is often considered a global leader in policies and services to support early childhood development (ECD). Their federal Criança Feliz (“Happy Child”) program, for example, was designed to provide regular home visits to low-income families with children under age three. Unfortunately, rollout of Criança Feliz has been slow, with many municipalities unable to reach target populations due to limited infrastructure, funding, and – most recently – the COVID-19 pandemic (Comitê Científico do Núcleo Ciência Pela Infância, 2019). Furthermore, the curriculum for Criança Feliz remains under-developed, resulting in variable levels of program quality. Although digital technology has been proposed as one means for addressing both access and quality gaps in home visiting programming, little research has explored the effectiveness of doing so. This pilot study aims to understand the feasibility of using a low-cost, scalable digital ECD program designed to support Criança Feliz parents in providing their young children (0- to 3-year-olds) with high-quality early learning environments and responsive care. The program – which is called Afini – includes an interactive mobile phone-based chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to recommend culturally-sensitive, customized, evidence-based learning activities that parents and other caregivers can use to promote children’s cognitive, language, motor, and social-emotional outcomes.

Hypotheses: We hypothesize that although Afini will be well received, Criança Feliz families may experience barriers to its take-up (e.g., limited internet access).

Study Population: The pilot study consisted of approximately 30 Criança Feliz families living in the state of Ceará, a low-income, racially/ethnically diverse state in the northeast of Brazil.

Methods: With support from their home visitor and a research assistant, families downloaded the Brazilian version of the Afini program via a stand-alone app or Facebook Messenger. After one week using Afini independently, they then participated in an hour-long virtual focus group interview (FGI) in which they were asked a series of questions about their use of Afini, their perceptions of its relevance for their family, and their recommendations for improvement. FGIs were audio recorded, transcribed, and translated into English prior to coding.

Results: Prelimninary results of the pilot study revealed several key themes. Although many families reported that they enjoyed using Afini, others raised limited internet connectivity, lack of access to Facebook Messenger, limited time, concerns about data privacy, and lack of spousal (husband) support as barriers to use. Collectively, these findings suggest that although digital ECD programs may be a viable means for supporting parents in low- and middle-income countries like Brazil, careful attention is needed to ensure the practical viability and cultural applicability of such programs. We will expand on these themes and official findings from the FGIs in the final presentation, while also drawing on lessons learned from the multifactorial cluster randomized control trial of Afini, which is currently underway with 3,500 Criança Feliz families in Ceará.

Authors

• Dana Charles McCoy, Harvard University
  Presenting Author

• Camila Machado, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Jorge Cuartas, Harvard University

• Julia Callegari, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Andreana Castellanos, Afinidata

• Julieta Trias, The World Bank