Moments That Matter®

Moments That Matter® (MTM) is our flagship early childhood development (ECD) program partnership.

Supported by generous donations and funding from organizations including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the Episcopal Health Foundation, Moments That Matter® focuses on the critical 0–3 age range when the quality of nurturing care children receive can affect them for the rest of their lives.

MTM equips and supports parents and other primary caregivers, often in remote communities where information and resources about nurturing care are limited or nonexistent.

  • Moments That Matter® teams teach nurturing care strategies that stimulate early childhood learning and brain development.
  • With a focus on engaging fathers and male caregivers, MTM teams facilitate learning groups to teach important skills, share ideas and experiences, and create networks of peer-to-peer support.
  • MTM teams provide nutrition support, including training to make and maintain a kitchen garden, healthy cooking classes and information about age-appropriate diets.
  • Trained community volunteers visit families in their homes to help monitor a child’s physical, mental and emotional development. They connect families with local health facilities and additional services when necessary.
  • MTM teams help caregivers establish community-led savings and loan groups that include financial training, a collective savings fund and the opportunity to take loans to start or expand a small business.
  • Community leaders, including faith leaders, are trained to support families while playing a major role in reducing negative factors—like neglect or exposure to violence—that can be so harmful to a developing child.

Moments That Matter® has been proven effective through multiple external evaluations. Learn more about our approach to early childhood development, and check out the resources below for a deep dive into the research, methodology, stories and results.

Resources

  • Early Childhood Development video: focuses on the experience of Catherine, an ECD volunteer in Zambia, as she conducts home visits to support caregivers and shares a prayer for the children in her community.