Author(s)
Daniela Del Boca
Luca Mo Costabella
Chiara Pronzato

In this paper, we evaluate the impact of participation in the Villaggi per Crescere (Villages for Growing Up) program. These "villages" are physical spaces where families with preschool-aged children can engage in shared activities and receive parenting support. We evaluate the program's effects using a difference-in-differences approach combined with propensity score matching. The treatment group consists of families who attended visit the village at least ten times, while the control group was constructed ad hoc with the support of a survey agency. Our findings show that parents involved in the program read and sing more frequently with their children, and report greater self-efficacy and awareness in their parenting practices.

File Description
First version, November 2025
JEL Codes
J13: Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
H72: State and Local Government: Health, Education, Welfare, Public Pensions
C93: Field Experiments
Keywords
parenting
early childhood education
program evaluation