Bangladesh shows how to scale child development programs cheaply through existing services
A large randomized trial in Bangladesh found that adding simple early childhood counseling to an existing nutrition program—without extra costs—boosted child cognition and language skills while cutting malnutrition. The approach suggests governments can multiply impact by layering services onto platforms already reaching families, delivering an 18.9% return on investment.
Originaltitel: Early childhood human capital formation at scale
<p>Can governments leverage existing service -delivery platforms to scale early childhood development (ECD) interventions? We experimentally study a large-scale, low-cost home -visiting intervention - providing materials and counseling - integrated into Bangladesh's national nutrition program without extra financial incentives for service providers (SPs). We find SPs partially substitute away from nutritional to ECD counseling. Intent -to -treat estimates show positive impacts on child's cognition (0.17 SD), language (0.23 SD), and socio-emotional scores (0.12-0.14 SD). Wasting and underweight rates decline. Older siblings' primary school attendance increases as well. Improved maternal agency, complementary parental investments, and higher take-up of the pre-existing nutrition program are important mechanisms. We estimate a sizeable internal rate -of -return of 18.9%.</p>