Community-Based Early Stimulation Coaching and Social Support for Children 6-24 Months in Carabayllo, Peru

CASITA is an evidence-based, culturally-specific, early intervention delivered by community health workers (CHWs) in Lima, Peru. With support from Grand Challenges Canada (GCC), the CASITA intervention pilot successfully demonstrated that this low-cost, community-based strategy improves neurodevelopment among children ages 6-24 months. Identified through the pilot, the core effective components of CASITA are: 1) high-quality training and supervision of CHWs, 2) structured community-based sessions to deliver evidence-based coaching on parenting behavior and child stimulation, and 3) validation of caregivers’ parenting efforts.