From Early Care To Family Empowerment: Evaluating The Impact Of A Family Support And Care Programme Implemented In Disadvantaged Contexts

Abstract

The study presents the impact evaluation of Espacios Infantiles 0–3, a family support and care programme promoted by Fundación ‘la Caixa’ and implemented in socially vulnerable contexts across nine autonomous communities in Spain. A quasi-experimental pre–post design with three equivalent comparison groups was conducted with 1,044 families and 1,217 children aged 0 to 3 years. Two validated instruments were used to measure parental competencies (PICCOLO) and family social vulnerability. Results indicate that program attendance is significantly associated with all outcome measures. Newly enrolled families, who participate more regularly, show the largest improvements in parental competencies, family well-being and reductions in social vulnerability. In contrast, families with longer exposure display more modest changes, a pattern that may reflect ceiling effects, reduced engagement over time, or shifts in living conditions. The findings provide robust evidence of the effectiveness of multidimensional parenting-support interventions in early childhood within socially vulnerable contexts, while underscoring the relevance of participation intensity and timing.