signal · indexed from World Bank Documents & Reports

Childcare for Informal-Sector Workers : Delivery Models, Access, and Welfare

World Bank

Published

08 Sept 2026

Coverage

UG

Childcare burdens limit productivity among women in the informal sector, but little is known about the optimal design of childcare support. The study randomizes 883 women market vendors in Kampala, Uganda to receive free workplace- or community-based childcare. Free childcare redistributes caregiving away from household members, raises women’s hourly earnings, and improves child development and women’s well-being. Community centers achieve higher utilization and larger gains in development and well-being, while workplace centers generate larger economic impacts. Both models have a high marginal value of public funds. Community centers currently dominate, but workplace-based centers could prove superior if operated at scale.