The effects of a childcare training program on childcare quality and child development: Evidence from a quasi-experimental study in Vietnam

Abstract

ObjectivesAccess to high-quality childcare is essential to promote childrens' development; however, little is known about the quality of childcare they receive. The current study addresses this knowledge gap by evaluating a childcare training program, delivered by a non-government organization, OneSky, in Vietnam. OneSky trains providers who run Home Based Cares (HBCs), which are private, low-cost childcares. MethodsA controlled quasi-experimental evaluation design was employed in order to compare short- and medium-term outcomes of the training program on the quality of the HBCs and the competencies of the HBC providers. In addition, the association between childcare quality and the development of the children attending the HBCs was examined. Three cohorts of HBCs were enrolled, (1) HBCs who had completed training 12–15 months prior to evaluation (medium-term); (2) HBCs who had completed training 1–3 months prior to evaluation (short-term); and (3) HBCs who were waiting to be trained (the control arm). The study sample comprised 418 HBCs and 1646 children. ResultsRegression analyses showed that childcare training was associated with improvements in childcare quality (β=0.97, p < 0.001), and the impact of the training was maintained over time (β=0.89, p=<0.001). Childcare training was associated with provider knowledge about infant developmental milestones in the short-term (β=0.42, p = 0.001), and childcare provider job satisfaction in the short-term (β=0.38, p = 0.003) and medium-term (β=0.43, p = 0.013), but had no impact on childcare provider stress. Childcare quality was independently associated with benefits to young childrens' development (β=0.11, p=<0.001). ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this is the first formal evaluation of a childcare training program in Vietnam. Further research is needed to identify features of childcare implementation associated with high quality care.