Mother and Teacher Support Programs to Improve Cognitive, Social and Communication Skills of Pre-School Children, to Improve the Mother's Quality of Life and to Decrease Domestic Violence Levels

Maria Conceicao do Rosário from Universidade Federal de São Paulo in Brazil will assess the effect of mother and teacher support programs in pre-schools in poor districts of São Paulo on the physical and emotional well-being of families, and on early childhood development. Many poor communities in Brazil suffer from high levels of urban violence and adult mental illness that affect the healthy development and well-being of children. Brazil has pledged that all children aged 4-6 will be in pre-school by 2016, presenting an opportunity to improve the quality of pre-school teaching to impact childhood development. They will recruit around 900 mothers to evaluate a mother support program, which will involve weekly group meetings for around 12 weeks to discuss issues including parenting methods and healthy child development. They will also implement a teacher support program to increase their knowledge on childhood health and development, and assess the impact on their attitudes and practices.