Impact of a Social-emotional Skills-Building Program (Pisotón) on Early Development of Children in Colombia: A Pilot Effectiveness Study

Abstract

Quality early childhood development (ECD) settings that address children's needs holistically provide safe and nurturing opportunities for children to thrive. We evaluated, through a quasi-experimental design, the impact of a social-emotional skills-building program (Pisotón) across ECD centers in Colombia. Developmental outcomes of children participating in Pisotón (n = 37) for 12 weeks were compared to those of children who did not participate in the program (n = 37) using the International Development and Early Learning Assessment (IDELA) measure and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). The results show that participation in Pisotón significantly increased children's social-emotional development score by 0.37 standard deviation units as assessed by IDELA. Study implications are discussed.