Creche attendance and child anthropometric outcomes: Evidence from a multi-state early childhood programme

Kumar, Ashutosh and Dipa, Sinha and Jayadev, Arjun (2025) Creche attendance and child anthropometric outcomes: Evidence from a multi-state early childhood programme. Working Paper. Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.

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Abstract

This paper examines whether attendance in full-day community creches is associated with improved nutritional outcomes among young children in rural India. Drawing on Monitoring and Information System data from creches supported by the Azim Premji Foundation in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh, we analyse longitudinal weight and height records for ~11,000 children aged six months to three years. We exploit variation in age at entry and duration of exposure to trace weight-for-age and weight-for-height trajectories for children enrolled in these creches. At admission, children are substantially lighter and thinner than both WHO growth standards and children of the same age in the National Family Health Survey, 2019-21 (NFHS-5) from the same districts of APF creches. Fixed-effects regressions show that longer exposure is systematically associated with higher final weight with stronger associations for children who enter at younger ages. We find evidence of catch-up growth as well, with the median child gaining more than 300 grams in weight for each month spent in the creche.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Authors:	Kumar, Ashutosh and Dipa, Sinha and Jayadev, Arjun
Document Language:	Language English
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Community creches, Child nutritional outcomes, Catch-up growth, Rural India, Fixed-effects analysis
Subjects:	Social sciences
Divisions:	Azim Premji University - Bengaluru > University Publications > Centre for the Study of the Indian Economy (CSIE)
Full Text Status:	Public
Related URLs:	Publisher
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/6711
Publisher URL:

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