Triggering Parental Time-Investments on Preschool Children through a mindful parenting program: results of the 1st wave of “MinUTo: Mind Us Together" By Maria Bigoni, Stefania Bortolotti, Tatiana Celadin, Margherita Fort, Annalisa Guarini, Chiara Monfardini, Alessandra Sansavini and Chiara Suttora
Abstract:
Disparities in parental investments in early childhood formation are key drivers of subsequent gaps in emotional and cognitive development of children. We designed a program – MinUTo – targeting parents of preschoolers, and collected a novel longitudinal dataset of parents’ preferences, beliefs, and time use in activities that involve their children. We present preliminary results on the program’s impact based on the 1st wave of MinUTo; in a follow-up study we exploit changes in parental investments induced by the program to assess its effects on children's outcomes.