Strengthening interaction quality in Mexican childcare services: developing a hybrid quality system
This project aims to support the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) in developing a continuous process quality assurance system with a hybrid strategy of initial and ongoing training for teaching staff at IMSS childcare centers and a quality monitoring tool. The hybrid strategy consists of an initial training module, an ongoing mentoring program, and a video library with local examples of effective caregiver-child interactions. The monitoring tool is a checklist used to continuously evaluate and monitor process quality and inform the mentoring program. The project will focus on designing hybrid strategies that combine in-person and remote activities based on mentor-guided experiential training. These strategies will center on enhancing caregiver-child interactions throughout the school day at the childcare center.
Problematic
Despite the fact that 75% of services at Mexican childcare centers are offered through the public provider network, low coverage and socioeconomic gaps in care persist. According to the 2018/2019 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT), only 10% of children under age three attend childcare centers, and the attendance rate of the richest quintile is three times higher than that of the poorest quintile. Additionally, public child care services are highly fragmented between multiple providers, each with their own regulatory, operational, and supervisory frameworks. The main providers are: IMSS daycares; Centers for Child Development and Welfare of the Government Workers’ Social Security and Services Institute (ISSSTE); Child Development Assistance Centers (CADI) and Community Child Assistance Centers (CAIC) of the National System for Integral Family Development (SNDIF); and the Child Care Centers of the Federal Public Education Secretariat (SEP).
From 2018 to 2020, researchers conducted a groundbreaking study to assess the quality of public childcare centers serving children under age 3 in Mexico. The study found that childcare centers in Mexico have high levels of structural quality, with safe and well-maintained spaces where children have access to age-appropriate play materials and activities. However, interaction quality was medium-low. It therefore represents a unique opportunity to continue improving children’s experience at centers by enhancing the emotional support and engaged support for learning they receive in the classroom. For example, there is room for more frequent displays of warmth and respect, as well as greater regard for child perspectives, needs, and development levels in educational planning.
Solution
The project will develop a hybrid initial and ongoing training strategy, as well as a monitoring tool. This component will consist of: (i) an initial training module and its contents; (ii) an ongoing program to support educational staff through guided mentoring; (iii) a video library with local examples of effective caregiver-child interactions; and (iv) a cost-efficient tool (checklist) to continually monitor process quality and inform the mentoring process.
The initial and ongoing training strategy will combine online activities (theoretical content) and in-person interventions (on-the-job training). The project will design, test, and evaluate these actions in successive iterations through a participatory process to be implemented via rapid and ongoing development, testing, and adjustment cycles.
Evaluation and Impact
The solution will be designed using iterative testing and adjustment cycles with rapid assessment methods. The project will use these qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the functionality, relevance, and feasibility of different versions of the strategy at a sample of 16 IMSS centers chosen based on logistical considerations and willingness to participate. The checklist resulting from the iterative cycles will be validated against a reference tool regularly used at the international level for these purposes (for example, CLASS) at a sample of approximately 150 IMSS centers. The project will hire a firm with expertise in collecting and processing this type of information.