The impact of early childhood interventions on mothers

Well-developed early childhood development (ECD) interventions often have substantial positive impacts on children’s physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. However, in a Policy Forum, David Evans and colleagues argue that most evaluations of ECD interventions focus only on estimating program impacts on young children rather than their indirect yet significant impacts on mothers and other caregivers. “Even if the primary objective of an ECD intervention is to improve outcomes for children, failing to measure the impact of women’s time and other maternal outcomes implicitly sets that value at zero,” write Evans

et al.

According to the authors, most ECD interventions have clear implications for the welfare of mothers and other household caregivers. For example, daycare and preschool provision free up women’s time for other opportunities, whereas parenting education and home visiting program interventions can greatly impose upon it, and targeted cash transfer programs for families with small children may, by extension, facilitate better health and economic outcomes for the whole household. However, while the potential effects of interventions on mothers and other household caregivers are generally acknowledged, few studies explicitly recognize or quantify these outcomes. Evans

et al.

examined more than 3,716 studies on ECD intervention that cover medical, psychological, economic, and other social science research and found that only 25% measure any caregiver-specific outcomes. Those that do often report substantial impacts, particularly on woman’s labor supply and maternal mental health. The authors suggest that studies that overlook these important effects may lead policymakers to overinvest in programs that impose substantial costs on women and underinvest in those that improve caregivers’ wellbeing, exacerbating current inequalities. “Ultimately, the evidence from those few studies that do measure impacts of ECD interventions on women suggest that many programs that are good for children also yield benefits for woman’s financial wellbeing, mental health and overall empowerment,” write Evans

et al.

“More of this measurement may shift emphasis from ECD interventions that are best for children to those that are best for children and their caregivers.”

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