Evaluation of the Happy Child Program implementation in the municipality of São Paulo: modifications and adaptations

• Grant number: 21/06322-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2022
• End date: April 17, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Aylene Emilia Moraes Bousquat
• Grantee: Lídia Pereira da Silva Godoi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Early Childhood Development (ECD) has gained great prominence and worldwide interest, as the number of initiatives in the area increases. In the city of São Paulo, as well as in Brazil, due to exacerbated socioeconomic inequalities, a large number of children live in social vulnerability and do not reach their full development potential. In order to cover children from vulnerable families and promote ECD in an integral way, the federal government created the Happy Child Program (HCP) that aims to strengthen parental skills, stimulate child development, and consolidate social assistance, health, education, culture, human rights and children's rights policies through intersectoral actions and home visits. The objective of this research is to evaluate and document the implementation of the PCF in the city of São Paulo. This is a case study that will use a qualitative approach anchored in implementation science references. The research will be developed in four stages: (1) documental review and analysis of programs and public policies of the ECD in the municipality; (2) identification of implementation barriers and facilitators; (3) mapping and analysis of the program modifications and adaptations in the context of the city of São Paulo; and (4) validation, finalization, and dissemination of results. This research will document in an unprecedented way the contextual adaptations for the implementation of the PCF and can help managers in improving the quality of the program implementation at scale, especially in municipalities with socioeconomic complexities similar to that of the municipality of São Paulo. (AU)