Kinship involvement and early childhood development outcomes in developing countries: empirical evidence from Thailand

Abstract The family unit exerts a crucial influence on early childhood development across all domains: physical, cognitive, and emotional and social. Prior research consistently underscores the significant role of parental involvement in shaping early childhood developmental trajectories. However, in numerous countries, particularly within developing nations characterized by prevalent extended family structures, where co-residence of kin is common, this research aims to investigate the influence of kinship involvement on early childhood development, utilizing Thailand as a representative case study. Employing nationally representative data from the 2022 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS–Thailand) and focusing on children under 5 years of age (0–4 years, n = 10,638), the study utilizes Probit regression modeling. The findings demonstrate that, beyond the established influence of parental roles, kin involvement in child-centered activities, such as reading, play, and outdoor excursions, has significant positive associations with child development across physical, cognitive, and emotional and social domains, particularly within low-to-middle-income families. This study highlights the critical importance of kinship networks as a supportive framework for childcare in developing countries and proposes policy recommendations aimed at enhancing kin involvement in early childhood development through public awareness initiatives and the provision of educational resources and communal play spaces.