Learning With Kids: Testing Business Training Modalities for Women with Children

Last registered on June 11, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Learning With Kids: Testing Business Training Modalities for Women with Children
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0016169
Initial registration date
June 04, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
June 11, 2025, 6:42 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Alejandro Estefan
Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-07-15
End date
2026-05-31
Keywords
Firms & Productivity
Additional Keywords
Entrepreneurship, Women, Training, Childcare, Digital Learning, Bolivia
JEL code(s)
J16, L26, O12, O15, I25, D91
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study evaluates the impact and cost-effectiveness of alternative business training modalities for women entrepreneurs in Bolivia. In partnership with BancoSol and IDB Invest, the study randomly assigns 1,200 women to (1) fully virtual training, (2) in-person training without childcare, (3) in-person training with childcare, or (4) a control group. All groups receive the same core training content. Using survey and administrative data, we will estimate the effect of each modality on training take-up, business knowledge, practices, and performance. We will also analyze heterogeneous treatment effects and cost-effectiveness to guide policy design. The findings will inform the literature on entrepreneurship training and support more inclusive and scalable interventions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Estefan, Alejandro. 2025. "Learning With Kids: Testing Business Training Modalities for Women with Children." AEA RCT Registry. June 11. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.16169-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2025-07-31
Intervention End Date
2025-11-30

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Training take-up, preferences and beliefs about training modalities, knowledge acquisition, business practices, and firm performance.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
1. Outreach and Registration: Participants will be recruited through digital channels (social media, WhatsApp, etc.) and complete an online registration form indicating demographic details. At this stage, participants are not told whether childcare support will be offered.
2. Baseline Survey: Registered women will complete a baseline survey online, consisting of a business knowledge exam and questions relative to preferences and beliefs about training modalities.
3. Randomization and Group Assignment: After registration, participants will be randomly assigned to one of four arms: (1) virtual training, (2) in-person training without childcare, (3) in-person training with childcare, or (4) control group. Randomization will be stratified by training preferences and city.
4. Training Intervention: Those assigned to groups 1–3 will receive a standardized 2-phase training intervention, each lasting three months:
- Phase 1 (July–August 2025): 4 modules of 12 hours of basic training content.
- Phase 2 (September–November 2025): 4 modules of 12 hours of intermediate training content.
All content is standardized across modalities and modules (digital marketing, AI tools, customer service, business growth). In-person sessions will occur in BancoSol offices in major cities. For the childcare group, sessions will be scheduled separately to avoid treatment contamination.
5. Post-Training Survey and Exit Exam: All treated participants will complete an online endline survey and knowledge assessment at the end of each phase. Surveys will measure learning gains and changes in preferences and beliefs about training modalities. A subset of administrative data from BancoSol will complement survey responses.
6. Control Group Follow-up: The control group will also complete all follow-up survey at the end of each training phase to serve as a comparison. After the study ends, they will be offered access to training.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
By a computer program, setting Stata's seed to the randomly chosen number 4546345
Randomization Unit
Woman entrepreneur
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1,200 women entrepreneurs
Sample size: planned number of observations
1,200 women entrepreneurs
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
~ 400 participants in the virtual training arm,
~ 200 in in-person without childcare,
~ 200 in in-person with childcare, and
~ 400 in the control group.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Notre Dame
IRB Approval Date
2025-07-31
IRB Approval Number
25-06-9354 (approval not obtained yet, date is an estimate)
Analysis Plan