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Digital Early Childhood Development Interventions in Latin America

Fri, March 24, 3:30 to 5:00pm, Salt Palace Convention Center, Floor: 1, Meeting Room 151 A-C

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Abstract

While research has shown home visiting programs to be one of the most promising interventions for improving early childhood development (ECD) in low-income settings, gaps exist regarding the access to, and quality of such programs. The COVID-19 pandemic has been accompanied by the suspension of in-person services in many settings, and has further complicated meeting children’s needs. Digital ECD interventions could address some of these challenges in principle, but have not yet been tested in low-resource settings. In this symposium, we present evidence on the feasibility, cultural applicability and potential impact of different digital ECD interventions. The first paper assessed a remote WhatsApp-based delivery strategy, presenting qualitative results from providers and beneficiaries in Boa Vista, Brazil. The second paper presents qualitative results from a study that uses a digital platform, “Afinidata,” to support parents participating in the “Criança Feliz” program in Ceará, Brazil. The third paper presents qualitative and quantitative results regarding the same digital platform, in regards to its feasibility as an independent intervention in a remote rural setting in Cajamarca, Peru. The fourth paper shares evidence from experimental design studies in Uruguay that assessed the effects of an e-messaging program, “Crianza Positiva,” on parental involvement, quality of parenting, and parental talk with infants. The collective body of evidence presented summarizes first evidence on the latest generation of digital ECD programs in Latin American and discusses their usability globally.

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