National Evaluation of Quality of Childcare (C0682)

This evaluation seeks to assess the impact of a training program on childcare center environments and child/caregiver wellbeing in El Salvador. Through a longitudinal, randomized control trial, over 200 childcare centers participating in the program will be assigned to various treatment arms receiving different components of the program. A community comparison cohort will also be enrolled.

Whole Child International (WCI) is a U.S.-based non-governmental organization. Its focus is on improving the caregiving environments for vulnerable children by effecting changes within child care centers and orphanages. This evaluation will assess the impact of an educational training and technical assistance program offered by WCI in collaboration with the El Salvadoran government. The program consists of a series of educational trainings (for local government officials, directors of childcare and residential centers, and center caregivers) and technical assistance including infrastructural changes within centers. To evaluate this intervention, a longitudinal, randomized controlled trial will be used to assign participating centers to one of seven treatment arms that will receive different components of the intervention. A community comparison cohort will also be enrolled to identify selection effects as well as local norms and standards. The central research question is, "Does providing training for institution providers and caregivers improve child outcomes?" Ethnographic research will also explore local cultural norms regarding child caregiving, and seek to understand how the intervention is received within communities.