Children’s early learning experiences set the course for their future. The Massachusetts Preschool Expansion Grant (PEG) supported high-quality preschool for more than 3,000 4-year-olds in five underserved communities over four years. We partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care to document program implementation and evaluate the impact on school readiness. Our impact study discovered significant gains in early literacy and math skills, especially among children at highest risk. Teacher retention—a key contributor to quality education—also was higher for PEG teachers. Abt’s findings informed PEG implementation and helped shape the state’s plans for preschool expansion and program quality supports.

Access to quality education is important for children everywhere. In Malawi, children are at risk of not learning foundational literacy skills due to large class sizes and lack of standardized tools to identify gaps in knowledge. Abt is working with Malawi’s government to provide primary school teachers with instructional and assessment training to gauge their students’ progress and guide future policy. Virtually all of the country’s 46,000 teachers and head teachers in Standards (Grade) 1 to 4 have participated, and the standardized literacy assessment methodology is now used at scale in Malawi's 5,476 primary schools. 

Gender norms and biases permeate nearly every aspect of society, including women’s health and family planning. Abt works globally to address these biases, and in Nigeria, one focus is on family planning providers. These providers may unknowingly hinder access to family planning because of social or cultural biases, for example by not offering long term contraceptives to young or unmarried women. Addressing gender bias in provider training is critical to ensure that all women have access to the full range of family planning methods, especially in rural areas, where community health extension workers offer the only services. Through the Abt-led SHOPS Plus program, more than 900 providers in four states—women and men—took Abt’s training. They participated in interactive exercises that revealed how personal gender biases may affect service delivery. In 2020, the Nigerian Ministry of Health integrated Abt’s gender transformative approach into its national curriculum for family planning providers.

Maternal wellness during pregnancy is a strong determinant of children’s health and, ultimately equity, especially for marginalized populations. To encourage robust perinatal care, Abt is implementing a partnership between the government of Australia and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Nurses and community workers provide visits to support women during their pregnancy and their babies’ early years to support them to build a safe home, healthy relationships and plans for a strong future.