A family-centred intervention in vulnerable contexts: pre–post changes following the Kinder Power Programme in Chile

Objective To examine pre–post changes in child and caregiver outcomes during participation in the Kinder Power Programme, a 12-month family-centred socioeducational intervention implemented in socioeconomically vulnerable Chilean communities.Method A single-group pre–post design included 488 caregiver–child dyads. The 31-session hybrid programme comprised 25 virtual tutoring sessions and six in-person community workshops, integrating socio-emotional development, positive parenting, and socioeducational strategies supporting early executive-function development. Outcomes included children’s cognitive and socio-emotional development, caregiver distress, parental competence, and family engagement. Cognitive outcomes were available for a non-random subsample of 71 children.Results The largest pre–post differences were observed in cognitive scores in both age groups (42–53 months: W = 84.0, p < .001, r = .72; 54–65 months: W = 7.0, p < .001, r = .92). Socio-emotional difficulties decreased with small effect sizes, while caregiver outcomes showed predominantly small or non-significant changes.Conclusions Participation in Kinder Power was associated with measurable changes over time, particularly in cognitive outcomes. However, the single-group design and non-random cognitive subsample preclude causal attribution. Findings should be interpreted as preliminary signals warranting controlled longitudinal evaluation of programme effects and mechanisms.