Participation rates in a group-based early childhood development program: Evidence from rural China

IF 5.9 1区经济学 Q1 ECONOMICS

中国经济评论 Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-05-18 DOI:10.1016/j.chieco.2026.102725

Zhidi Zhang , Lei Wang , Yun Shen , Jessica Lin , Philip Meng , Isabella Zheng , Norah Zhao , Katelynn You , Teresa Song , Alvin Wu , Hanwen Zhang , Bingquan Zhu , Scott Rozelle

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Developmental delays during early childhood are common in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Parenting training programs can effectively support early childhood development, but caregivers' participation rate in these programs has been relatively low. Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) have been shown to increase participation in many LMICs, but they have not been used in previous programs in rural China. This study investigates the factors associated with participation in a parenting training program in rural Zhejiang, China and evaluates the effect of a CCT intervention on participation. Quantitative data from a baseline survey and participation records were used to examine the associations between household characteristics and participation and estimate the effect of CCTs. Child gender, the level of child development, family economic status, and the home environment were associated with participation. The participation rate among recipients of CCTs was 59% while the CCTs were implemented, and it remained at 53% after they ended. Qualitative data from interviews with caregivers were used to identify barriers to participation. Limited awareness of early development, time constraints, and limited familial support hindered participation. Although the CCTs increased participation, only a minority of the frequent participants reported that the cash incentives motivated their participation. To increase engagement with parenting training in rural China, practitioners should combine financial incentives with efforts to build awareness for early development and to improve familial and social support for participation.

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基于群体的儿童早期发展项目的参与率：来自中国农村的证据

幼儿期发育迟缓在低收入和中等收入国家很常见。父母培训项目可以有效地支持儿童早期发展，但照顾者在这些项目中的参与率相对较低。有条件现金转移支付（CCTs）已被证明可以提高许多中低收入国家的参与率，但在中国农村地区的以往项目中尚未使用。本研究调查了中国浙江农村父母培训项目参与的相关因素，并评估了有条件现金资助干预对参与的影响。来自基线调查和参与记录的定量数据用于检查家庭特征与参与之间的关系，并估计有条件现金转移治疗的效果。儿童性别、儿童发展水平、家庭经济状况和家庭环境与参与有关。有条件现金转移治疗实施时，接受者的参与率为59%，在有条件现金转移治疗结束后，参与率仍为53%。从与护理人员的访谈中获得的定性数据被用来确定参与的障碍。对早期发展的认识有限、时间限制和家庭支持有限阻碍了参与。尽管有条件现金转移支付增加了参与，但只有少数经常参与的人报告说，现金奖励激励了他们的参与。为了增加中国农村地区父母培训的参与度，从业者应该将经济激励与努力建立早期发展意识相结合，并改善家庭和社会对参与的支持。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

中国经济评论 ECONOMICS-

CiteScore

10.60

自引率

4.40%

发文量

380

期刊介绍： The China Economic Review publishes original works of scholarship which add to the knowledge of the economy of China and to economies as a discipline. We seek, in particular, papers dealing with policy, performance and institutional change. Empirical papers normally use a formal model, a data set, and standard statistical techniques. Submissions are subjected to double-blind peer review.