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Updated: Nov 7, 2025
Measuring the Functional Abilities of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old with Observational Methods and Computer Tools
Published on: June 20, 2020
Building Evidence for Pre-school Policy Change in Bulgaria
Eugenia Volen1, Joost de Laat2
1Early Learning and Care Program, Trust for Social Achievement, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Insights
Bulgaria
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Economics
- Public Policy
Background:
- Bulgaria faced low kindergarten participation rates among 4-6 year olds.
- Financial barriers, specifically monthly attendance fees, deterred enrollment, particularly for impoverished families.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the policy advocacy process for increasing early childhood education access in Bulgaria.
- To demonstrate how evidence from a randomized control trial (RCT) informed policy change.
Main Methods:
- A large-scale randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted across 236 poor communities in Bulgaria from 2014-2018.
- The Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) utilized RCT findings to advocate for policy reform.
- Qualitative analysis of the advocacy process, including evidence generation and stakeholder mobilization.
Main Results:
- Legal amendments were passed in September 2020, removing kindergarten fees for children aged 4-6.
- State budget funds were allocated to cover attendance costs, benefiting poor children.
- The RCT provided crucial evidence that supported the policy change.
Conclusions:
- Evidence-based advocacy, particularly from RCTs, can effectively influence policy for social good.
- Sustained efforts in evidence generation and stakeholder engagement are vital for successful policy implementation.
- The policy change is expected to significantly increase kindergarten participation among disadvantaged children in Bulgaria.
Abstract:
In September 2020, Bulgaria's National Assembly (Parliament) passed legal amendments aimed at increasing kindergarten participation for children aged 4-6 in Bulgaria, with poor children standing to benefit the most. For the first time, state budget funds were set aside to relieve parents of the costs of monthly attendance fees currently collected by full-day kindergartens. It builds on evidence generated from a large-scale randomized control trial (RCT) (2014-2018) across 236 poor communities, implemented by the Trust for Social Achievement (TSA) together with the World Bank and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab. This paper describes how the RCT was used by TSA to advocate for removal of fees, and how much more evidence besides the RCT needed to be generated and support needed to be mobilized to influence policy action.
