Supporting the caregiver-child dyad’s relationship: An evaluation of implementation quality in the Chilean Crecer Jugando program

Abstract

This study presents an evaluation of the implementation quality of the Chilean program Crecer Jugando (CJ), a 16 weekly sessions group-based parenting program for children 0 to 4 years old and their primary caregivers aiming at promoting positive caregiver-child interaction. The implementation of CJ in two public health care centers (HCC) in Chile’s Metropolitan Region was assessed based on Donabedian’s theoretical model, focusing on the dimensions of the program’s structure (e.g., infrastructure and supplies), processes (e.g., coordination of CJ team with the HCCs, participants’ attendance, CJ team interaction with participating children), and preliminary outcomes (i.e., parenting stress, caregiver-child interaction). A total of 63 main caregiver-child dyads participated in the study, which took place over a six-month period. Results indicated that the CJ program was feasible to be implemented in two HCCs and would benefit from improving the coordination with the HCCs and the quality of interaction of the CJ team with participating children. After participation in the CJ program, caregivers showed a decrease in their parenting stress. Lessons learned are discussed.