Passive versus active service delivery: Comparing the effects of two parenting interventions on early cognitive development in rural China

We present the results of a cluster-randomized controlled trial that evaluates the effects of a free, center based parenting intervention on early cognitive development and parenting practices in 100 rural villages in China. We then compare these effects to a previous trial of a home-based intervention conducted in the same region, using the same parenting curriculum and public service system, accounting for potential differences between the studies. We find that the center-based intervention did not have a significant impact on child development outcomes, but did lead to increases in the material investments, time investments, and parenting skills of caregivers. The average impact of the center-based intervention on child skills and investments in children was significantly smaller than the home-visiting intervention. Analysis of the possible mechanisms suggests that the difference in effects was driven primarily by different patterns of selection into program participation. (c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Automated summary

The center-based parenting intervention in rural China did not significantly impact child development outcomes, but did increase caregivers' investments in children and parenting skills. On the other hand, the home-based intervention had a greater impact on child skills compared to the center-based intervention.