Learn about the new programme launched to address developmental gaps in children under three.
The Prescription to Play initiative (also known as P2P) is a programme developed by Bhutan’s Ministry of Health in partnership with Save the Children. P2P targets children under 3, training health assistants and guiding care givers to support children with ‘responsive play, positive discipline and improved nutrition.’ It is also explained that, the initiative is ‘offering young children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, access to play-based learning crucial for cognitive and social growth.’ 1
Before implementation and now
Before implementation, it was reported that:
- 21% of Bhutanese children under 5 were stunted
- 6% had access to play materials at home
- half of preschool-aged children lacked adequate parental engagement in playful activities.
In the programme’s first year, it has been reported that:
- there’s been an 85% increase in health assistants’ understanding of child development, playful parenting and positive discipline
- three quarters of the health assistants felt confident in leading playful parenting sessions
- fathers’ participation in caregiving activities increased by 11.4% (in comparison to where the programme wasn’t introduced)
- in fathers who attended 4 or more sessions, this was heightened to a 24.3% increase in care activities. 1
These outcomes and others mentioned in the impact report are positive but it was also explained that there are challenges in ‘measuring developmental progress and variations in caregiver participation’ so they couldn’t confirm a direct link on impacting child development.
Next steps
In order to sustain the programme, the impact report shared that the initiative needs to be integrated more deeply into Bhutan’s national healthcare system. It highlighted the importance of continuous training for health assistants to ensure high-quality deliver, with regular refresher courses. It was also noted that increased awareness campaigns would encourage broader participation.
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References
- Wangdi J, ANN Asia News Network (2025) ‘Bhutan’s Prescription to Play initiative is reshaping early childhood development’. Available at: https://asianews.network/bhutans-prescription-to-play-initiative-is-reshaping-early-childhood-development/ (Accessed: 31 March 2025)
