The core component of our approach is our Informed Parents Program, followed by the Brain Builders Program designed by our strategic partners, the Hackett Center for Mental Health.

The Informed Parents Program is a three-pronged intervention that involves weekly interactive sessions for parents and children, monthly parent-only meetings, and personalized home visits through a 12-week program. This structured intervention has proven effective in facilitating significant behavioral changes through ongoing relationships and coaching.

Introduced in 2023, the Brain Builder Program is a 6-week, evidence-informed, group-based parenting initiative that empowers families with insights from brain science to optimize early learning for every child. The program helps families understand the importance of singing, reading, talking, and playing with their babies, linking these interactions to future learning and development outcomes.

As part of the ECD program, we also provide wraparound services based on the needs expressed by the parents. These complementary services include information sessions on perinatal healthcare, early brain development, relational health, health and wellness, nutrition, and hygiene. These information sessions are complemented by establishing peer-to-peer support structures, such as Mother’s Action Committees, Father’s Leadership Groups, and Youth Mental Health Support Groups. Our ECD teachers are also trained as Community Health Workers, enabling them to provide on-the-spot health advice to mothers and their children and provide referral services. Additionally, we developed strong partnerships with mainstream organizations and school districts and referred clients to community partners to assist with English as a Second Language and financial literacy classes.

The Mothers Action Committees and Father Leadership Groups to enhance program effectiveness and ensure community input. These committees are crucial in providing feedback on project goals, strategies, and implementation plans, ensuring clients’ voices guide our efforts. 

To ensure that all services are culturally and linguistically compatible, we offer interpretation services, as necessary, to provide service in different languages to communicate with pregnant women, parents, caregivers, and children of refugee families.

The Way Forward

1) Expand the outreach of our home-based Informed Parents and Brain Builders programs and broaden our scope of intervention by focusing on the “next 1,000 days of a child’s life” (ages 2–5 years). Research highlights that focusing on children within this age group provides opportunities to foster nurturing and caring environments, encourage healthy behaviors, and build upon early achievements to sustain or enhance pathways for healthy development.

2) In conjunction with our Economic Empowerment program, support women in launching home-based kindergartens.

3) Look at the opportunity to become an Early/Head Start program provider combined with the provision of complementary services: (I) provision of parenting sessions to parents, and (II) provision of support services to parents on child and maternal health (e.g., nutrition, mental health) through its existing MoU with the Ibn Sina Foundation.

4) Expand school-based programs with a focus on reinforcing students’ nutrition, sanitation, and other health-promoting behaviors through information sessions, workshops, and interactive activities, as well as look at the opportunity to work with student councils to lead initiatives and implement a student-led initiative that promotes a healthy school environment.