Authors:

  • Christopher Sudfeld
  • Aisha Khizar Yousafzai
Background: In low-income and middle-income countries, an estimated 181·9 million (74·6%) preschool-aged children do not receive adequate nurturing care in health, nutrition, protection, learning, and responsive care, thus jeopardising their healthy development across the life course. Working alongside the health sector, multisectoral actions including social protection and education are necessary to achieve child health and development outcomes. Innovations are needed to expand access to high-quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) for young children and opportunities for youth development. Youth Leaders for Early Childhood Assuring Children are Prepared for School (LEAPS) is a two-generation programme that trains female youth aged 18–24 years to deliver ECCE. We evaluated the effectiveness of LEAPS to improve children's school readiness when delivered at scale in rural Pakistan.

Citations

Yousafzai, Aisha, Christopher Sudfeld, Quanyi Dai, Emily Franchett, Saima Siyal, and Karima Rehmani et al. Effect of a youth-led early childhood care and education programme on children's development and learning in rural Sindh, Pakistan (LEAPS): a stepped-wedge cluster-randomised implementation trial. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. December 2024. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(24)00304-3/fulltext