Early Childhood Center-Based Care for Infants and Toddlers: First Findings from a Randomized Trial of the AeioTu Program in Colombia

Milagros Nores, Rutgers University
Raquel Bernal, Universidad de Los Andes

The last decades have seen growing global interest in public investments on disadvantaged young children. This is based on evidence of the importance of environmental influences on early development, the human and economic costs of poor developmental trajectories, and the potential for early interventions to alter those trajectories. There is increasing agreement about the value of early interventions, yet less agreement about the most effective and efficient forms of intervention. In particular, there is scarce evidence on the impact of center-based care on infants and toddlers. We investigate the effects of a comprehensive early intervention program, named AeioTu, on the development of disadvantaged infants and toddlers in Colombia through a randomized control trial. This paper assesses motor, cognitive, linguistic, and socio-emotional development 8 months into treatment. Results show strong impacts on early development for children in the treatment group and investigates heterogeneous effects across gender and education background.