Search

• It is unclear that what delivery model of early childhood interventions may be most effective in developing countries. • We evaluate the effects of a center-based parenting intervention on early development and parenting practices in rural China. • We compare the effects to a home-based intervention using the same curriculum and public service system in the same region. • We find the home-visiting intervention was more effective than the center-based parenting intervention on child outcomes. • The difference in effects appears to be driven by different patterns of compliance. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]