1. ECCD: The role of parents & community ECCD Parenting Circles and Health Post Services in Central America

2. Essential Package Country Community Family Child National ECCD Policy Health services Caregivers Family environment Development Nutrition PARENTING CIRCLES HEALTH SERVICES (Learning Corners & Developmental Eval)

3. Intervention… When? 0-3 How? Community based model What? Developmental practices, transition, articulates services.

4. The Community Strategies

5. Hollistic Development COGNITI ON HEALTHY NUTRITIO N GROSS MOTOR FINE MOTOR SOCIO- EMOT LANGUA GE

6. Evaluation Ages and Stages test and a home background survey were chosen as the main tools for the evaluation. All children participating in the program were evaluated (for inclusion criteria) Control and intervention communities were selected and among the control communities we have 2 main groups, communities with a similar intervention and communities with no intervention at all.

7. SAMPLE SIZE

8. Families reporting doing all practices Intervention group

9. Families performing developmental practices Intervention group

10. Children with adequate development Pre and post

11. Children with adequate development per area. Intervention group

12. Children with adequate development By time of participation

13. Other remarks 1.Preliminar multiple regression analysis: Time of participation in Parenting Circles and receiving all health services promoted are associated with a higher probability of having adequate development (5 areas) after controlling for mother’s schooling, sex, child’s age. 2.# of books for children and having done all promoted practices also showed a positive relationship. 3.Positive changes exist also in sanitation practices promoted by the project such as: proper use of latrine, hand washing, water purification and water storage. 4.We could not find significative changes in the nutritional status of children.

14. Next steps 1.Continue implementation and periodical evaluation. 2. Select a follow up cohort (control and intervention) for a longitudinal study. 3.Complete the study with the second evaluation of the control group not receiving any intervention (not shown in this analysis). 4.Further analysis should be done taking into account the home environment variables as well as the quality of the centres.