Support parents and caregivers to improve early learning outcomes
“As a mother of three daughters, I found use in knowledge about the benefits of taking time for myself and how to respect my children and their ideas. I learned how to control my own budget and made new friends during the training.”
-Mother Support Program Participant
“Recently, we played one of the games shared by AÇEV. Playing together with the kids was very enjoyable. I enjoyed the game as much as they did. They have an amazing imagination,”
-Father Support Program Participant
Location: Turkey, with replications in 16 low- and middle-income countries in the Middle East, Europe, and Asia
AÇEV offers parenting programs that promote children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development at home.
AÇEV’s Mother-Child Education Program (MOCEP) consists of two programs. The Cognitive Education Program promotes school readiness and cognitive development by building children’s pre-literacy and numeracy skills, language development, concept formation, and problem-solving skills. The Mother Support Program helps mothers foster positive home environments that further reinforce learning.
Children whose mothers attended MOCEP showed stronger verbal and numerical skills in first grade and read at an earlier age than children whose mothers did not attend. They also had lower secondary school drop-out rates (2.4% vs 7.4%) and higher university attainment (44% vs 27%).[1] A cost benefit analysis found that every one Turkish lira spent on AÇEV’s Mother Support Program returned nearly six lira worth of benefits in the form of increased productivity and earnings of those who participated.[2]
The organization’s Father Support Program (FSP) encourages fathers to assume increased childcare responsibilities. Fathers who participated in the Father Support Program were more involved in supporting their children’s development, became more aware of their childrearing responsibilities, and showed more empathy and communication.
AÇEV makes its curriculum available digitally through its YouTube channel, free First6Years app for caregivers, and WhatsApp text line.
Learn more: https://www.acev.org/en/homepage/
More ways to help
Other organizations working to help children through parenting programs include Changent and CAP Tulsa.
For more CHIP guidance on improving educational outcomes, see CHIP’s Early School Success, Pathways to Student Success, and High Impact Opportunities to Improve Teaching Quality guides.
Notes
[1] Bekman, S. (1998). A Fair Chance: An Evaluation of the Mother-Child Education Program. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED426765
[2] Kaytaz, M. (2005). A Cost Benefit Analysis of Preschool Education in Turkey. Mother Child Education Foundation. https://www.acev.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/7._a_cost_benefit_analysis_of_preschool_education_in_turkey_compressed.pdf