The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.

Parenting programs have primarily focused on supporting mothers with knowledge and practice of responsive caregiving. However, the role of non-primary caregivers such as grandparents, aunts, and older siblings has not been adequately addressed in programming. Using ChildFund International's pro...

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Main Authors: Eunsoo Timothy Kim, Darcy Strouse, Sandra Sandoval, Lukiya Kibone, Damaris Wambua, Michela Profeta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323830
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author Eunsoo Timothy Kim
Darcy Strouse
Sandra Sandoval
Lukiya Kibone
Damaris Wambua
Michela Profeta
author_facet Eunsoo Timothy Kim
Darcy Strouse
Sandra Sandoval
Lukiya Kibone
Damaris Wambua
Michela Profeta
author_sort Eunsoo Timothy Kim
collection DOAJ
description Parenting programs have primarily focused on supporting mothers with knowledge and practice of responsive caregiving. However, the role of non-primary caregivers such as grandparents, aunts, and older siblings has not been adequately addressed in programming. Using ChildFund International's programmatic data from Kenya and Uganda, this cross-sectional study examined the extent to which children aged 0-5 years were left in the care of non-primary caregivers in the household and whether the primary caregivers' absence was associated with engagement by non-primary caregivers. We found that a considerable proportion of children aged 0-5 years in Kenya and Uganda were entrusted in the care of non-primary caregivers for at least 3 days or more during the week. Yet, the primary caregivers' absence was not consistently associated with greater engagement by fathers and other members of the household. Our findings call for parenting programs to consider adopting a holistic and contextualized approach where all involved caregivers are intentionally targeted rather than focusing just on the identified primary caregiver alone.
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spelling doaj-art-478121e1af2a4a5ebbb93cffc653a6942025-08-20T03:48:14ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01205e032383010.1371/journal.pone.0323830The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.Eunsoo Timothy KimDarcy StrouseSandra SandovalLukiya KiboneDamaris WambuaMichela ProfetaParenting programs have primarily focused on supporting mothers with knowledge and practice of responsive caregiving. However, the role of non-primary caregivers such as grandparents, aunts, and older siblings has not been adequately addressed in programming. Using ChildFund International's programmatic data from Kenya and Uganda, this cross-sectional study examined the extent to which children aged 0-5 years were left in the care of non-primary caregivers in the household and whether the primary caregivers' absence was associated with engagement by non-primary caregivers. We found that a considerable proportion of children aged 0-5 years in Kenya and Uganda were entrusted in the care of non-primary caregivers for at least 3 days or more during the week. Yet, the primary caregivers' absence was not consistently associated with greater engagement by fathers and other members of the household. Our findings call for parenting programs to consider adopting a holistic and contextualized approach where all involved caregivers are intentionally targeted rather than focusing just on the identified primary caregiver alone.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323830
spellingShingle Eunsoo Timothy Kim
Darcy Strouse
Sandra Sandoval
Lukiya Kibone
Damaris Wambua
Michela Profeta
The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.
PLoS ONE
title The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.
title_full The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.
title_fullStr The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.
title_full_unstemmed The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.
title_short The contribution of non-primary caregivers in early stimulation in Kenya and Uganda: Implications for ECD parenting programs in low- and middle-income countries.
title_sort contribution of non primary caregivers in early stimulation in kenya and uganda implications for ecd parenting programs in low and middle income countries
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0323830
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