Impact Evaluation
The 8-year evaluation of PFL was conducted by a multi-disciplinary research team involving economists, developmental psychologists, and clinical epidemiologists.
The evaluation was conducted using a longitudinal RCT design and collected data on parents, the home environment, and child development outcomes from birth through age 5. Data collection took place at pre-intervention (baseline), 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, 3 years, and 4 years.
The random assignment of half of the families into groups with differing levels of supports allowed us to examine the impact of the parenting supports (one-to-one mentoring and group parenting programme). A matched comparison group of ~100 women from outside the PFL communities was also tracked throughout the course of the evaluation. Data from the matched comparison group were collected at the same time intervals and in the same way as the data collected in the PFL communities and served as a comparison representing what would have happened in the absence of the PFL programme.
The results from the 2008-2016 evaluation showed that overall, PFL achieved its aim of improving children’s school readiness. The programme had a positive and significant impact on each of the five domains of school readiness:
- Cognitive development
- Language development
- Approaches to learning
- Social & emotional development
- Physical wellbeing & motor development
