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RAQUEL BERNAL

Image of RAQUEL BERNAL
Universidad de los Andes - Joint with Università di Bologna

 webinar link: https://zoom.us/j/91691529933  


Title: The effects of a project and play-based early education program on medium term developmental trajectories of young children in a low-income setting.

(Authors: Raquel Bernal, Milagros Nores & Michele Giannola) 


Abstract: Extensive research has shown comprehensive early interventions can improve the developmental outcomes of disadvantaged children. However, the evidence on the effectiveness of high-quality center-based programs for young children in developing countries is still scarce, where programs are typically of low quality and only short-term impacts have been assessed. This paper reports short and medium-run effects from a high-quality early education intervention characterized by key elements of process quality such as project and play-based learning and rich adult-child interactions, on children younger than four years of age in two communities in northern Colombia. We find strong positive effects on cognitive development and health, but no significant impacts on socioemotional development. 


Bio: Raquel Bernal is an Economics Professor and Academic Vice President at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá (Colombia). She holds a PhD degree in economics from New York University. Her research focuses on social policy, education, childcare, human capital, household decisions and labor economics. Her research investigates the determinants of early human capital accumulation. She has conducted a variety of impact evaluations of early childhood development programs including studies of the short- and long-term effects of both family-home and center-based programs for young children birth to age 5 in Colombia.