title: Is something better than nothing? An evaluation of early childhood programs in Cambodia.
abstract: This study evaluated the relative effectiveness of home-based, community-based, and state-run early childhood programs across Cambodia. A total of 880 five-year-olds (55% girls) from 6 rural provinces in Cambodia attending State Preschools, Community Preschools, Home-Based Programs, or no programs were assessed twice using the Cambodian Developmental Assessment Test. Controlling for baseline differences, children who participated in any early childhood programs performed significantly better in posttest than those of children who did not participate in any programs. Children in State Preschools scored significantly higher than those in either Community Preschools or Home-Based Programs; scores did not differ as a function of attending Community Preschools or Home-Based Programs. The results indicate that some preschool experience is better than none at all.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. nrao@hku.hk
authors.forename: Nirmala
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Hongyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Constas
authors.forename: Patrice L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Engle
mesh_terms: D002160:Cambodia; D002654:Child Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004493:Education / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006078:Government Programs / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012578:Schools, Nursery / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000600:supply & distribution*