Results
Descriptive characteristics of the subsample are summarized in
Table 1 . The sample remained well-balanced following
restriction: treatment and control groups were quite similar across all
attributes at baseline. Use of balwadi (Seva Mendir) was reported for
16.4% of all children in treated households at midline, but restricting
to eligible children (under 6 years old) yields a more accurate
treatment uptake estimate of 28.5%. This was lower than anticipated,
likely due to the short window of time (and thus limited opportunity for
uptake) from baseline to midline; we expect that household-level uptake
of the intervention will increase substantially by the final wave of the
study. Use of balwadi (Seva Mendir) among children residing in control
households was low (3.2%), as anticipated.
Educational outcomes, including the ability to both read and write and
the average time spent in school per day/week, improved slightly in both
treatment and control groups from baseline to midline; this is to be
expected, as many of these factors would be expected to increase with
age. The striking shifts in where children spent most of their day from
baseline to midline are likely attributable to seasonal shifts in school
attendance (responses to this question would vary based on when in the
calendar year they are surveyed) (Verify?).