Author

Bloomfield, Juanita ; Balsa, Ana ; Cid, Alejandro ; Oreopoulos, Philip

Date

2025

Extensión

60 p.

Notas

JEL No. I20, J24, O15

Abstract

Early childhood in developing countries faces a greater prevalence of risk factors and limited resources, underscoring the need for effective, scalable support models. We develop and experimentally evaluate a multi-component approach to enhance family well-being over-the-phone. The program combines scalable outreaches including calls by a teleoperator, messages, a chatbot, and an AI tool. Targeted at highly vulnerable families with children aged 0 to 3 in Uruguay, the intervention promotes positive parenting practices at home, fosters language development, and provides personalized assistance to help families access government benefits. The intervention was implemented with 1,360 families eligible for support from the government agency Uruguay Crece Contigo over an eight-month period. We find that the program increases weekly frequency of parental engagement in stimulating activities and reduces parental stress. Treated families gain enhanced access to social benefits, including cash transfers and employment support programs.

Keyword

Childhood parents phone AI tool vulnerable families positive parenting practices

Tipo

Reporte técnico

Derechos

Abierto

Versión

Aceptada

En

NBER Working Paper n° 33338

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• Documentos de trabajo [75]