Springboard for School Readiness Project Impact Evaluation 2014, Baseline Survey
Bulgaria, 2014
Joost de Laat, Elise Huillery, Paul Gertler
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March 27, 2018
Last modified
March 27, 2018
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Identification
Survey ID Number
BGR_2014_SSRIE-BL_v01_M_v01_A_PUF
Title
Springboard for School Readiness Project Impact Evaluation 2014, Baseline Survey
Subtitle
Baseline Survey
Country/Economy
| Name | Country code |
|---|---|
| Bulgaria | BGR |
Abstract
This impact evaluation was designed to assess effectiveness of the Springboard for School Readiness Project, which aims to promote preschool attendance among segregated comminutes in Bulgaria, especially Roma communities.
This study is a randomized controlled trial seeking to assess the effectiveness of an early childhood development services, combining outreach with conditional and unconditional cash transfer for parents wishing to send their children to preschool. The primary objective of this impact evaluation is to provide policy relevant information on how to most cost-effectively address preschool participation, promote quality early learning, and promote full inclusion in the broad sense for poor Roma children in Bulgaria. Since early learning and socialization provide a critical foundation for all children, the long-term follow-up envisioned under this project will also inform the policy debate on promoting cost-effective strategies for learning at the primary level and beyond.
The evaluation and intervention were designed by the World Bank in partnership with the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) under the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
The project is focused on children 3 to 5 years old and their parents. The baseline survey was implemented in April - June 2014; the endline survey is planned for the spring of 2015. The baseline survey documented here covered 5,712 households in 236 segregated communities in Bulgaria.
This study is a randomized controlled trial seeking to assess the effectiveness of an early childhood development services, combining outreach with conditional and unconditional cash transfer for parents wishing to send their children to preschool. The primary objective of this impact evaluation is to provide policy relevant information on how to most cost-effectively address preschool participation, promote quality early learning, and promote full inclusion in the broad sense for poor Roma children in Bulgaria. Since early learning and socialization provide a critical foundation for all children, the long-term follow-up envisioned under this project will also inform the policy debate on promoting cost-effective strategies for learning at the primary level and beyond.
The evaluation and intervention were designed by the World Bank in partnership with the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) under the America for Bulgaria Foundation.
The project is focused on children 3 to 5 years old and their parents. The baseline survey was implemented in April - June 2014; the endline survey is planned for the spring of 2015. The baseline survey documented here covered 5,712 households in 236 segregated communities in Bulgaria.
Kind of Data
Sample survey data [ssd]
Unit of Analysis
- children,
- households,
- preschools,
- communities
- households,
- preschools,
- communities
Version
Version Description
v01 (edited, anonymous datasets)
Scope
Notes
The scope of the study includes:
- Household demographic characteristics,
- Children's learning skills
- Durables and income
- Parents' education perceptions
- Household demographic characteristics,
- Children's learning skills
- Durables and income
- Parents' education perceptions
Coverage
Geographic Coverage
236 segregated (generally Roma) communities in Bulgaria
Producers and sponsors
Primary investigators
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Joost de Laat | World Bank |
| Elise Huillery | Sciences Po |
| Paul Gertler | University of California, Berkeley |
Producers
| Name | Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Trust for Social Achievement | America for Bulgaria Foundation |
| Open Society Institute - Sofia |
Funding Agency/Sponsor
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund | SIEF |
Sampling
Sampling Procedure
The study involves three randomizations to determine the treatment status of the eligible participants.
First, in each of 240 eligible communities, 30 households were chosen by the Trust for Social Achievement Foundation (TSA). One child was chosen from each household (if there were more than one sibling of kindergarten age (3-5 for the 2014-2015 school year)). Out of 30 households, only 25 were interviewed and followed, five households were chosen as replacement backups.
240 eligible communities were identified using a list of segregated communities previously created by Open Society Institute-Sofia (OSI - Sofia) several years ago. TSA/World Bank used the list to identify a subset of 240 communities that could accommodate the project.
Then, a public lottery was organized to determine the treatment status of 240 confirmed communities.
First, in each of 240 eligible communities, 30 households were chosen by the Trust for Social Achievement Foundation (TSA). One child was chosen from each household (if there were more than one sibling of kindergarten age (3-5 for the 2014-2015 school year)). Out of 30 households, only 25 were interviewed and followed, five households were chosen as replacement backups.
240 eligible communities were identified using a list of segregated communities previously created by Open Society Institute-Sofia (OSI - Sofia) several years ago. TSA/World Bank used the list to identify a subset of 240 communities that could accommodate the project.
Then, a public lottery was organized to determine the treatment status of 240 confirmed communities.
Data Collection
Dates of Data Collection
| Start | End | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-04-21 | 2014-06-08 | Baseline |
Data source
Education - GP (GEDDR), World Bank
Data Collection Mode
Face-to-face [f2f]
Data Collection Notes
- Intervention A: Free access to preschool education. The intervention consists of covering the full cost of education to eligible households to ensure that affordability is not an obstacle. The cost of education includes fees as well as other financial contributions that teachers ask parents to make for school supplies. The fees and other financial contributions to schools will be directly paid to the school by the program implementing partner (Trust for Social Achievement Foundation).
- Intervention B: Free access to preschool education + financial incentive. This intervention offers the same benefits as the previous one, but adds a financial incentive - a monthly bonus to the family provided the child attends preschool daily (with the exception of absences as a result of illness, etc.). The amount of the financial incentive will be about half of the child allowance.
- Intervention C: Information about the benefits of education and promoting interaction between parents and preschool officials. The intervention consists of engaging eligible parents in a discussion about the benefits of preschool education. It also raises awareness of the importance of preschool education in further education and professional life of a child.
- Intervention B: Free access to preschool education + financial incentive. This intervention offers the same benefits as the previous one, but adds a financial incentive - a monthly bonus to the family provided the child attends preschool daily (with the exception of absences as a result of illness, etc.). The amount of the financial incentive will be about half of the child allowance.
- Intervention C: Information about the benefits of education and promoting interaction between parents and preschool officials. The intervention consists of engaging eligible parents in a discussion about the benefits of preschool education. It also raises awareness of the importance of preschool education in further education and professional life of a child.
Data Collectors
| Name | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Open Society Institute - Sofia | OSI - Sofia |
Questionnaires
Questionnaires
1) The Community Listing excercise collected the following information:
At the community level:
- Urban/semi-urban/rural
- Municipality population size
- Settlement population size (if not number of people, at least number of households)
- Estimated number of children aged 3-5 (during the 2014-2015 school year)
- Settlement area (estimate)
- Estimated (by OSI) share of Roma
- Average distance to the kindergarten from the settlement (both in meters and in time)
- Presence of civil society organizations active on promoting preschool
- Wealth characteristics - based on the quality of housing? Other characteristics of the neighborhood like roads, sanitation, electricity, water tap?
At the kindergarten level:
- Number of teachers
- Number of classes
- Number of pupils
- Number of rooms suitable for a class
- Number of additional children 3-5 that could be accommodated with existing physical/teacher infrastructure
2) The Baseline Questionnaire collected information on:
- Wealth of the household (e.g. income, consumption, quality of the housing, possession of durable goods)
- Educational background of parents
- Occupation of parents and time allocation
- Distance to school
- Ethnicity (self-reported and reported by interviewer)
- Participation to school of all children in the household
- Perceptions of education
At the community level:
- Urban/semi-urban/rural
- Municipality population size
- Settlement population size (if not number of people, at least number of households)
- Estimated number of children aged 3-5 (during the 2014-2015 school year)
- Settlement area (estimate)
- Estimated (by OSI) share of Roma
- Average distance to the kindergarten from the settlement (both in meters and in time)
- Presence of civil society organizations active on promoting preschool
- Wealth characteristics - based on the quality of housing? Other characteristics of the neighborhood like roads, sanitation, electricity, water tap?
At the kindergarten level:
- Number of teachers
- Number of classes
- Number of pupils
- Number of rooms suitable for a class
- Number of additional children 3-5 that could be accommodated with existing physical/teacher infrastructure
2) The Baseline Questionnaire collected information on:
- Wealth of the household (e.g. income, consumption, quality of the housing, possession of durable goods)
- Educational background of parents
- Occupation of parents and time allocation
- Distance to school
- Ethnicity (self-reported and reported by interviewer)
- Participation to school of all children in the household
- Perceptions of education
Access policy
Access authority
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Joost de Laat | World Bank | jdelaat@worldbank.org |
Contacts
| Name | Affiliation | |
|---|---|---|
| Joost de Laat | World Bank | jdelaat@worldbank.org |
| Robin Audy | World Bank | raudy@worldbank.org |
Citation requirements
Use of the dataset must be acknowledged using a citation which would include:
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example,
Joost de Laat, World Bank; Elise Huillery, Sciences Po; Paul Gertler, University of California, Berkeley. Bulgaria Springboard for School Readiness Project Impact Evaluation 2014, Baseline Survey. Ref. BGR_2014_SSRIE-BL_v01_M_v01_A_PUF. Dataset downloaded from [URL] on [date].
- the Identification of the Primary Investigator
- the title of the survey (including country, acronym and year of implementation)
- the survey reference number
- the source and date of download
Example,
Joost de Laat, World Bank; Elise Huillery, Sciences Po; Paul Gertler, University of California, Berkeley. Bulgaria Springboard for School Readiness Project Impact Evaluation 2014, Baseline Survey. Ref. BGR_2014_SSRIE-BL_v01_M_v01_A_PUF. Dataset downloaded from [URL] on [date].
Disclaimer and copyrights
Disclaimer
The user of the data acknowledges that the original collector of the data, the authorized distributor of the data, and the relevant funding agency bear no responsibility for use of the data or for interpretations or inferences based upon such uses.
Metadata production
DDI Document ID
DDI_BGR_2014_SSRIE-BL_v01_M_v01_A_PUF_WB
Producers
| Name | Abbreviation | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Data Group | DECDG | World Bank | Study documentation |
| Education - GP | GEDDR | World Bank | Study documentation |
Date of Metadata Production
2014-12-16
DDI Document version
v01 (December 2014)