Scaling Early Childhood Development: What to read | October 2025

Scaling Early Childhood Development – what to read this month is curated by Bet Caeyers (Lead Editor, Chr. Michelsen Institute), Meghan Taylor (Editor, Oxford Policy Management) and Daniel Munday (Editor, Oxford Policy Management) .

A new study by Omoeva et al. underscores the persistent challenge of implementing government-led parenting programmes at scale. Evaluating large-scale initiatives promoting play-based stimulation for children aged 0–3 across Bhutan, Serbia and Zambia, the authors found only modest improvements in parenting practices, with small developmental gains, mainly in Bhutan. Key barriers included low participation rates, limited workforce training and supervision, and insufficient programme dosage — all factors that likely constrained impact. Yet caregivers who actively joined group sessions reported meaningful learning about responsive parenting, highlighting the potential of well designed, adequately dosed parenting interventions. The research reinforces the importance of formative testing, strong advocacy, and consistent quality in design and delivery to achieve lasting benefits for children and families.

Prioreschi et al. demonstrate the promise – and limits – of blending digital tools with in-person support to strengthen parenting in low-resource urban settings. Their feasibility study in Soweto tested the Play, Love, And You (PLAY) nurturing care programme, combining app-based resources (now freely available from the Ngeyethu app on Apple and Android) with bimonthly personalised in-person feedback on infant movement data and on mother-infant interactions captured through wearable headcams. The approach was highly acceptable – 96% of mothers wanted to keep using the app – and the personalised feedback boosted confidence and caregiving skills. Yet, unreliable electricity and persistent technical issues (with both the app and headcams) significantly constrained participation and delivery. The study illustrates the strong potential of hybrid, data-free, digital-in-person models but also highlights that successful scale-up in low-resource settings will require stronger technological infrastructure and delivery systems.

Shifting to health, Kassim and Silvano elicit rural women’s experiences with mobile health (mHealth) technologies for family planning information in Tanzania’s Lake Zone. Women who used platforms like Wazazi Nipendeni (Parents Love Me) and Mobile for Reproductive Health (m4RH) valued the convenience, confidentiality and credibility of receiving guidance via mobile phones. However, awareness and understanding of these services remained uneven – many women were unaware of the platforms or unsure how to subscribe and use them effectively. Limited digital literacy and misconceptions that smartphones or payment were required also posed barriers. The study highlights the promise of mHealth in expanding access to family planning information, while emphasising the need to improve awareness, usability and digital inclusion to achieve scale.

Reichenberger et al. provide the first comprehensive synthesis of play-based interventions designed to support the wellbeing of children with disabilities in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Despite over 90% of children with disabilities living in LMICs, the review found that most of the 20 identified studies were conducted in upper-middle-income countries in Central and South America, with limited representation from Asia or Africa. Interventions were typically researcher-led rather than integrated into health or community systems and few assessed feasibility, scalability, or long-term outcomes. The findings reveal a critical evidence gap for scaling disability-inclusive play interventions,  underscoring the need for research that addresses cultural adaptation, community engagement, costing and sustainability within early childhood development systems.

To close, we highlight an important new World Bank handbook edited by Ugo Gentilini, which delves into the practical realities of scaling social assistance programmes, with a focus on three interdependent themes, often overlooked in research on scale: financing, political economy and system delivery. The overall message from the book paints a diverse picture. For one, the lessons learned reinforce that cash transfer and other social assistance programmes can be widely implemented even in countries that have troubling macro-fiscal conditions. However, the political economy also matters; implementers need to be aware of, and factor in, the politics of the recipient country to ensure that programmes can operate effectively without being caught in political challenges, and that delivery systems are working well to support sustainable scaling.

Banner image: Alex Burger on Flickr