Article in VoxDev

By Kata Urban

24 January 2025 09:21

Article in VoxDev

Subsidised preschool access in Uganda improved children’s physical development but not learning outcomes, with cash transfers of similar value showing comparable effects. This study highlights the long-term benefits of early childhood interventions in low-income settings.

A study by Bjorvatn et al. (2024) examined the long-term effects of subsidised preschool access and cash transfers on child development in Uganda. Families with young children were randomly assigned to receive either subsidised full-day preschool access, cash transfers of equivalent value, both interventions, or no intervention. Over a four-year period, researchers tracked children’s physical and learning outcomes.

The findings revealed that subsidised preschool access significantly improved children’s physical development, particularly weight-for-age and BMI. Cash transfers had similar positive effects on physical outcomes, indicating both interventions were effective in supporting children’s health. However, neither intervention showed lasting benefits for learning outcomes, likely due to the disruption caused by Uganda’s 83-week pandemic-related school closure. Despite this, both subsidies and cash transfers demonstrated resilience during crises, suggesting their value as strategies for improving child development in low-income settings.

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