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                            enGender Impact: The World Bank’s Gender Impact Evaluation Database



The Promise of Preschool in Africa: A Randomized Impact Evaluation of Early Childhood Development in
                                          Rural Mozambique
 Author(s)    Sebastian Martinez, Sophie Naudeu, Vitor Pereira
  Contact     snaudeau@worldbank.org

  Country     Mozambique
Organizing
              Education and Skills, Health, Voice and Agency
 Theme
   Status     Completed
Intervention
             Early Childhood Development
  Category
   Sector     Education

 Abstract     No Abstract
 Gender
              Gender Informed Analysis
Connection
 Gender       Gender disaggregated nutrition, Educational enrolment, attainment, performance, literacy and numeracy, non-cognitive
Outcomes      skills, women's labor force participation, aspirations
 IE Design    Clustered Randomized Control Trial (Clustered at community level)
             The intervention provides pre-school centers given the community forms a committee responsible for managing and
             supervising the preschool. The committee encourages parents and caregivers to enroll and participate in parenting
             meetings, construction and maintenance. Communities receive technical assistance and materials for the construction of up
Intervention
             to three class rooms with capacity for 35 children each. Also each community receives assistance to build playgrounds,
             latrines and washing stations. Each class is staffed with two volunteer teachers selected by the management committee. The
             pre-school follows a set curriculum and lasts for 3.25 hours a day.
Intervention
             The ECD programs were started in 2008
   Period
   Sample    The sample was comprised of 2000 households with preschool aged children as well as community leaders and first grade
 population students in each of the 76 evaluation communities. There are 1018 targeted children in treatment communities.
Comparison The study compares individuals in communities with the ECD intervention to individuals in communities with no
 conditions intervention.
   Unit of
             Individual level
  analysis
 Evaluation
             Early 2008 - 2010
   Period
             Primary school enrollments increased significantly by 24% in treatment communities. Beneficiary children spend a
             significantly greater amount of time on schooling and homework activities (7.2 hours) and a significantly less amount of
             time on family farm activities. There are consistent significant improvements in cognitive and problem-solving abilities,
             fine-motor skills and socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes. There is no significant impact on communication and
   Results
             language development. Although it was not the primary goal of the program, there are no significant impacts on stunting
             and mixed results for other health indicators. The program also has a positive externality on other household members by
             increasing schooling and increasing the propensity to work of adults in the household. Finally, the program leads caregivers
             to adopt more appropriate punishment and increase the practice of daily routine.


              Last updated: 14 August 2013                                                                    1
                            enGender Impact: The World Bank’s Gender Impact Evaluation Database


  Primary
               The study may lack external validity. Also, the impacts are only measured for those who actually go to preschool and may
    study
               not reflect potential benefits to the entire population.
limitations
  Funding
               Spanish Impact Evaluation Fund
   Source
               Martinez, S., Naudeau, S., & Pereira, V. (2012). The promise of preschool in Africa: a randomized impact evaluation of
Reference(s)
               early childhood development in rural Mozambique.
  Link to
  Studies      http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTAFRICA/Resources/The_Promise_of_Preschool_in_Africa_ECD_REPORT.pdf
 Microdata




               Last updated: 14 August 2013                                                                    2