Levels, determinants, and distribution of early childhood development in rural Uttar Pradesh, India

Early childhood development (ECD) is the foundation of a prosperous and sustainable society. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight young children’s development as a key contributor to the transformation that the world seeks to achieve by 2030. Designed by UNICEF and released in 2022, the ECDI2030 is a new, state-of-the-art, validated measure designed to assess quality ECD. Little is currently known about ECD in India, which hinders progress in narrowing the ECD gap between advantaged and disadvantaged social groups and geographies. This research will analyse data from a representative rural Indian sample using the ECDI2030. Results will help to inform evidence-based, targeted interventions to enhance equitable early childhood development.
The project has three objectives:
1. To describe the level of early childhood development in a representative rural Indian sample using the ECDI2030;
2. To identify the determinants of variations in ECD outcomes; including socioeconomic, demographic, and geographical (spatial patterning) determinants;
3. To share results with key stakeholders, contributing to understanding of the ECD situation, targeted interventions, and policy formulation.
To date, there are no published population-representative studies using the ECDI2030 from India, and none from any location applying advanced multilevel and geospatial methods to the ECDI2030.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mira Johri

Student:

Partner:

Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: