Pathways to Preschool

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About the project

Pathways to Preschool

The Pathways to Preschool project, the result of a partnership between J-PAL Latin America and the Caribbean, Bracell Foundation, Itaú Social, academia and the public sector, aims to strengthen learning and the development of children in preschool.

Our objectives

With the overall goal of generating evidence for high-quality public early childhood education, we:

Build partnerships among civil society organizations, academia, and public managers;
Support the implementation of promising preschool programs in partnership with local governments, contributing to the continuous professional development and pedagogical practices of early childhood education teachers;
Generate knowledge and evidence to support the scaling of programs proven effective for the development of children in this stage of schooling;
Contribute to quality and equity in the provision of Early Childhood Education.

Learn more

Who we are

Partner organizations

The project is the result of a partnership between organizations that joined efforts to generate evidence for planning the path to scale of initiatives that can strengthen child development and learning in preschool.

The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that public policies are based on scientific evidence. J-PAL co-founders Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, along with longtime J-PAL affiliate Michael Kremer, received the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their approach to poverty alleviation.

Fundação Bracell is a non-governmental organization that seeks to leverage the transformative power of early childhood education to develop people's full potential and improve their lives. To this end, it supports and develops initiatives focused on early childhood education, the age group that lays the foundation for full human development.

Itaú Social is dedicated to improving learning and educational outcomes in preschool and the final years of elementary school, reducing inequalities based on race/color, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status.

Our partners

The project is developed in close collaboration with the Municipal Departments of Education of Camaçari and Feira de Santana, in Bahia, and Bauru and Guarulhos, in São Paulo. This work is strengthened through partnerships with the State Departments of Education in both states, as well as relationships with other public sector organizations, early childhood education professionals, and researchers in the field.

Mapa destacando os estados e cidades parceiros do projeto Caminhos da Pré-escola

How we work

Phase 1 (2024)

Start of partnership-building with state and municipal departments of education, literature review, and selection of promising preschool programs.

Phase 2 (2025–2026)

Implementation and impact evaluation of preschool programs on children’s learning and holistic development. The programs Curiosamente and FloresSer are currently being implemented and evaluated for their impact.

Phase 3 (2027–2028)

Support for technology transfer and adaptation for the large-scale implementation of programs with positive impact.

Learn more about the preschool programs

FloresSer Program

The FloresSer project aims to strengthen the intentional development of children’s socio-emotional skills — such as identifying, expressing, and managing emotions, interpersonal skills, growth mindset, and responsible decision-making — through short activities grounded in teaching practice and easily adaptable to different preschool contexts.

The project’s implementation and evaluation are coordinated by J-PAL affiliate researcher Alejandro Ganimian, in partnership with Ana Luiza Colagrossi and the Municipal Departments of Education of Bauru and Guarulhos. The impact evaluation will investigate the program’s effects on children’s socio-emotional development.

Team: Alejandro Ganimian, Ana Colagrossi, Stephanie Jones

Curiosamente Program

The Curiosamente program aims to promote the development of socio-emotional skills and mathematical concepts among children in the final year of early childhood education through playful activities that can be easily integrated into teachers’ pedagogical practices.

The project’s implementation and evaluation are coordinated by J-PAL affiliate researcher Luiz Scorzafave, in partnership with Chrissie Ferreira de Carvalho, Nara Cortes Andrade, and the Municipal Departments of Education of Camaçari and Feira de Santana. The impact evaluation will investigate the program’s effects on children’s socio-emotional development and mathematical skills.

Team: Luiz Scorzafave, Chrissie Ferreira de Carvalho, and Nara Cortes Andrade

Highlights from our path

2024

2025

Sharing Experiences with Esther Duflo, Founder of J-PAL and Nobel Prize in Economics

Partners of the “Pathways to Preschool” project, the Curiosamente program team, and Esther Duflo gathered to exchange experiences regarding the implementation and impact evaluation of the Math Games, a program, which was adapted to the Brazilian context and named “CuriousMind” in Brazil.

$Pathways to preschool meeting with Esther Duflo$

Members of J-PAL (Esther Duflo, Claudia Macias, Priscila Costa e Élida de Aquino), Insper (Cristine Pinto), Fundação Bracell (Alejandra Velasco, Filomena Siqueira e Eduardo Queiroz), Itaú Social (Denilson Aluizio), research team ( Luiz Scorzafave e Roberta Loboda), and implementing partners(Chrissie Carvalho e Nara Côrtes) at Insper. Credits: J-PAL LAC

Workshop on Communication and Development of a Work Plan for the Implementation and Impact Evaluation of the Curiosamente Program

Partners of the “Pathways to Preschool” project and the Curiosamente program team came together for a workshop on communication using clear and accessible language for public leaders, and for the collaborative development of the project’s work plan, led by Priscila Costa, Research and Policy Manager at J-PAL LAC.

Pathways to preschool meeting Curiosamente program

Members of J-PAL LAC ( Élida e Priscila), Fundação Bracell (Filomena Siqueira), Itaú Social (Denilson Aluizio), Research team ( Luiz Scorzafave e Roberta Loboda), and implementing partners(Chrissie Carvalho e Nara Côrtes) no Insper. Credits: J-PAL LAC.