Stanford University

This two-year grant to Stanford University would support an evaluation of the Reinforcement of Parental Education (RPE) program conducted by Tostan in Senegal. To address barriers to success among schoolchildren, Tostan has developed a community-led approach to improve caregiving practices and children’s language skills. The evaluation will strengthen Tostan’s monitoring and evaluation systems, build capacity of Tostan staff via local trainings and an international post-doctorate degree help Tostan use data and feedback for more efficient and effective programming, assess the efficacy of the RPE module in changing parenting skills and children’s language outcomes, provide a baseline for a later longitudinal follow-up of these children when they enter school, develop local expertise and robust testing procedures in assessing the effects of parenting interventions in field conditions, and contribute findings on the role of early language experience to parents and children in an African culture.