This midline report presents findings from a cluster-randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluating BRAC’s home-based childcare model across four low-income urban sites in Bangladesh — Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, and Tongi. The model trains local women (“khala”) to provide affordable, play-based childcare from their homes, aiming to simultaneously support child development, enable mothers’ labor market participation, and generate income for women childcare entrepreneurs. Conducted by BIGD and BRAC IED, the evaluation covers 2,882 mothers and 375 entrepreneurs surveyed approximately nine months after the intervention began. Key findings include a 17% service uptake rate in treatment clusters, with the cash-transfer arm showing the highest utilization (over 30%). Instrumental variable estimates suggest that childcare access significantly increased mothers’ time spent in income-generating activities, particularly among those already employed at baseline. On the supply side, 95% of trained entrepreneurs remained active after the subsidy period ended, earning an average of BDT 6,500/month in childcare fees — nearly three times that of the comparison group. The study is registered with the AEA RCT Registry (AEARCTR-0013404) and funded by the Gates Foundation.
Authors: Adiba, Raisa; Ahmed, Shaila; Dhar, Diva; Khatun, Rabiya; Mani, Anandi; Oishy, Aloka Ahmed; Sulaiman, Munshi; and Yesmin, Sakila.
Type: Report
Publisher: BIGD
Year: 2026
