Abstract
In September 2020, Bulgaria's National Assembly (Parliament) passed legal amendments aimed at increasing kindergarten participation for children aged 4–6 in Bulgaria, with poor children standing to benefit the most. For the first time, state budget funds were set aside to relieve parents of the costs of monthly attendance fees currently collected by full-day kindergartens. It builds on evidence generated from a large-scale randomized control trial (RCT) (2014–2018) across 236 poor communities, implemented by the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) together with the World Bank and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. This paper describes how the RCT was used by TSA to advocate for removal of fees, and how much more evidence besides the RCT needed to be generated and support needed to be mobilized to influence policy action.
Highlights
In September 2020, Bulgaria’s National Assembly (Parliament) passed legal amendments aimed at increasing kindergarten participation for children aged 4–6 in Bulgaria through the removal or reduction of monthly attendance fees currently collected by kindergartens
This study is based on an analysis of Springboard for School Readiness (SSR) related documents generated by Trust for Social Achievement (TSA), the principal investigators of the randomized control trial (RCT), and related documents produced by stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education and the Parliament
It is informed by many discussions over an 8-year period with TSA staff, government representatives at national and local levels, and representatives of NGOs that participated in the implementation of the SSR
Summary
In September 2020, Bulgaria’s National Assembly (Parliament) passed legal amendments aimed at increasing kindergarten participation for children aged 4–6 in Bulgaria through the removal or reduction of monthly attendance fees currently collected by kindergartens. Poor Bulgarian children, many though not all of whom are Roma ethnic minorities, stand to gain the most from this policy change. Fewer than 15% of Roma aged 18–24 graduate from high school, compared to a national average of 87% [3]. Evidence for Pre-school Policy Change outcomes for disadvantaged children [6]. While four out of five ethnic Bulgarian children attended pre-school in 2011, this was true for only two out of five Roma children [3]. TSA formulated the goal of the SSR as “informing public policy on the most effective ways of increasing kindergarten participation by Roma children.”. Before the SSR, conclusive evidence did not exist, and prejudices partially filled the void to claim that parental lack of interest explained the low participation rate of Roma children. This paper will explore how the SSR project evolved into a nationwide policy by 2020
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