Early Stimulation Intervention to Nurture Parents and Children

More than 40 percent of children under 5 in low and middle-income countries are estimated to be at risk of low cognitive and socioemotional development (Lancet, 2017). Not achieving one's developmental potential is linked to lower earnings, poorer health, and worse wellbeing, which can trap families in poverty. Although many global research studies have shown the positive impact and return on investment of high-quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) programs for parents and children, most were studied in small-scale settings with professional trainers. More research is needed to examine the effectiveness - including cost-effectiveness - of scaled up ECCE programs. To further establish this evidence base, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) Southeast Asia is adapting the Reach Up program to the Indonesian context, namely Program CAPAI (Reaching Indonesian Children’s Potential). Reach Up has supported the short- and long-term development of more than 100,000 children in 18 countries worldwide, as demonstrated by nearly 20 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that show significant and lasting evidence of impact (Jervis et al., 2023). In Program CAPAI, trained cadres show parents how to engage their young children using inexpensive homemade toys and picture books to stimulate and enrich their children's development. With support from the DIV Fund, the World Bank Research Budget, the Early Learning Partnership, and other partners, J-PAL Southeast Asia has partnered with researchers from the University of Delaware, Bangor University, Gadjah Mada University, and the World Bank to conduct a pilot RCT that examines the effectiveness of the Reach Up a program with mothers plus a newly developed version with fathers, as compared to programs currently offered in the community. These findings will directly inform the design of a large-scale trial and future rollout of Reach Up in Indonesia at scale, which may reach 275,000 children.