Informing Early Childhood Development in Informal Daycare Centers: Experimental Evidence from Kenya

Policy Context

The period from birth to age three is a critical stage in early childhood development (ECD), when responsive caregiving and early learning stimulation lay the foundation for lifelong learning. In Kenya, the share of children not developmentally on track grew with age, from 17 percent among those aged two to three to 26 percent among those aged four to five. 

Many of the children from low-income settlements spend part of this period in daycare centers that operate without formal oversight and often fail to meet minimum quality standards. Research in Nairobi’s informal settlements found that only 20 percent of daycare caregivers had received formal ECD training, and caregivers surveyed in Kisumu, Murang’a, and Mombasa counties provided insufficient stimulation support, with only 18 percent reporting having books. Existing literature has documented these deficits, but no study has tested whether training caregivers in responsive care and early learning practices improves child development outcomes, a gap this study aims to fill. 

Study Design

CEGA Fellow Peninah Nyamori will pilot this 36-week intervention in informal settlements of Mombasa County in 2026, using a cluster-randomized design at the daycare center level. Twelve daycare centers will be randomized, six to the intervention group and six to a comparison group that continues standard practice. Each center is run by one caregiver serving 15 children aged zero to three, for a total of 12 caregivers and 180 children. The proposed intervention is a structured training program for unskilled caregivers and covers four modules: Introduction to Child Development; Responsive Care; Early Learning Opportunities; and Development of improvised play and learning materials. Standardized tools, including the Caregiver Reported Early Development Instrument (CREDI), the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT), and Measuring Early Learning Environments (MELE), will be used to measure the expected outcomes, which are improved caregiver practices and better child development outcomes.

Results and Policy Lessons

Results forthcoming.