1-097 - Caregiver-based policy initiatives: Using diverse samples and rigorous evaluation designs for the monitoring and impact analysis

Session Type: Paper Symposium

Integrative Statement

The promotion of parent-based initiatives, in combination with educational programming for children or in isolation, is a common strategy aiming to improve the wellbeing of children worldwide. In the absence of parents, or in collaboration with these, other caregivers can also influence children’s development and benefit from involvement in skills-training interventions.
Weaknesses in the evaluation design of parent- and caregiver-based initiatives limit the internal and external validity of study findings. In the proposed symposium, we present three papers using diverse samples and rigorous evaluation designs that together maximize policy reform and welfare practice.
The first paper presents the results of a randomized control trial assessing impacts of a village-based family-skills training for grandparents and playgroups for young children 0-6, in communities with high proportions of left-behind children, on attitudes of parents, caregivers, and teachers, and development outcomes of targeted children.
The second paper examines the experimental impacts of the programme Playgroups for Inclusion targeting children aged 0-4 and their families, not participating in the currently available ECEC services in Portugal. The paper will focus on the impact estimates of this program on family environment, caregiving practices, and child development.
The third paper presents a playgroup-quality study embedded in the previous experimental trial. To date, there is no adequate measure for the quality of playgroups. The Playgroups Environment Rating Scale study (PERS; Alexandre et. al, in preparation) will focus on how quality in playgroups is associated with child development in these informal settings.

Sub Unit

• Prevention and Interventions

Chairs

• M. Clara Martins Barata, University of Coimbra

• Joana Alexandre, ISCTE_Lisbon University Institute

Individual Presentations

• Strengthening Family Skills to Enhance Development among Left-Behind Children in Rural China - Shaoping Li, China Development Research Foundation; Presenting Author: Emilie Berkhout, Amsterdam Institute for International Development; Guirong Li, Henan University; Mary Young, China Development Research Foundation

• Playgroups for Inclusion: Impacts on Family Environment, Caregiving Practices, and Child Mental Development - Presenting Author: M. Clara Martins Barata, University of Coimbra; Catarina Leitão, University of Coimbra; Bruno de Sousa, University of Coimbra; Joana Alexandre, ISCTE_Lisbon University Institute; Vanessa Russo, ISCTE-IUL

• Measuring quality in Playgroups: Development and validation of the Playgroups Environment Rating Scale (PERS) - Presenting Author: Joana Alexandre, ISCTE_Lisbon University Institute; Vanessa Russo, ISCTE-IUL; M. Clara Martins Barata, University of Coimbra; Catarina Leitão, University of Coimbra