About this session

Friday, 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM

Improving the Scalability, Implementation Outcomes, and Inclusivity of Parenting Programs in Low- and- Middle-Income Countries

Policymakers are increasingly interested in parenting programs due to evidence of their potential effectiveness in promoting positive child development outcomes (Cuartas et al., 2024; Jeong et al., 2021). Even though there are pilots of parenting programs in all regions of the world, these programs have rarely been implemented at scale, and there are several unsolved questions on how to improve their implementation outcomes (Britto et al., 2022). Similarly, most programs and related evaluations have focused on mothers, often overlooking fathers and other adults who play a significant role in childrearing, particularly in low- and- middle-income countries – LMICs (Jeong et al., 2023).

We will present evidence on pathways to enhance the implementation outcomes, scalability, and effectiveness of parenting programs in LMICs. The first paper shares insights from a research-practice partnership with the Government of Colombia to develop Apapacho, a violence prevention parenting program, and findings from a mixed methods feasibility study (N=262) embedding Apapacho into an existing group-based national program. The second paper presents evidence on the potential feasibility and effectiveness of integrating an artificial intelligence (AI) driven digital intervention for parents into a national home visiting program in Brazil, highlighting sociodemographic characteristics that predict parents’ take-up of the digital intervention (N=1,599). The last paper explores the potential role of financial incentives to increase fathers’ attendance to a parenting program in Tanzania and the effectiveness of such a program on caregiving outcomes (N=120).

We will conclude by discussing the collective implications of these studies for developmental science, policy, and practice.

Paper #1
Title	Apapacho, A Violence Prevention Parenting Program: Feasibility Study and Lessons from a Research-Practice-Partnership in Colombia
Presenting author	Dr. Jorge Cuartas, New York University & Colombia, United States & Universidad de los Andes

Paper #2
Title	Take-Up and Impact of a Digital Parenting Intervention within Brazil’s National Home Visiting Program
Presenting author	Dr. Dana Charles McCoy, Ph.D., Harvard University, United States

Paper #3
Title	Evaluation of financial incentives on paternal engagement and outcomes within a fatherhood program in Tanzania
Presenting author	Joshua Jeong, Ph.D., Emory University, United States

View all paper details

Session chair
Dr. Jorge Cuartas, New York University & Universidad de los Andes, United States & Colombia

Discussant
Florencia Lopez Boo, New York University, United States

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