Association between time of permanence in the early education program (nurseries program) and developmental level for children in poverty situation

Background

The nurseries program (NP) was created to support parents with 1 to 3-year-old children living in poverty situation in Mexico, and includes education and child daycare for 8 hours five days per week. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between length of stay in the NP and the level of development in children.

Methods

Cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in two Mexican states. All children aged between 12 to 48 months enrolled in NP from November 2014 to January 2015 were included. The Child Development Evaluation (CDE) test was used to screen early development. Normal early development prevalence odds ratio (OR) was calculated and adjusted for gender, impairment, and state, using as a reference those children with less than 30 days in the program.

Results

The study included 3,387 children from 177 NP nurseries, 53% were male; age by group was divided in 12-24 months (22.3%), 25-36 months (37.6%) and 37-42 months (40.1%). Normal development adjusted OR by age were 1.9 (CI95%: 1.30-2.78) for 6-11 months, 2.36 (95%IC: 1.60-3.50) for 12-17 months, 2.78 (95%IC: 1.65-4.65) for 18-23 months and 3.46 (95%IC: 2.13-5.60) for > 24 months. Regarding area of development, a greater probability of having a normal result for language and social areas was observed after six months in the program, and for the motor (both gross and fine) and knowledge areas after 12 months.

Conclusion

The length of the stay in the NP after six months significantly and progressively increases the probability of normal development regardless of gender and age.