Background: To examine the impact of social protection programs in promoting children's health and cognitive development, the study was conducted. Present study examined the effect of these programs on children especially during vulnerable early childhood phases. Method: The study was conducted using meta-analysis through randomized, controlled trials using PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, ERIC, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases were used to search articles published from Jan ​2008 to till Dec 2023 reporting on the prevalence of social protection programs in shaping children's cognitive skills and health outcomes. Results: A total of 275 (N = 275) articles were identified, 13 potentially relevant studies were included for meta-analysis after employing inclusion and exclusion criteria. Random-effects model estimated Finance Health Care ranges from 0.55% to 1.63% with a pooled estimate of relative risk (RR) = 0.83 (95% CI 0.70, 0.97, p