SINGAPORE – Ms Cheryl Sim felt like she was thrown in at the deep end to care for her baby after she gave birth in October 2022. She barely saw her husband, who works two jobs to support the family. family, and had no one to accompany him until the end. her postpartum depression, which was triggered when the infant, her first child, cried.

The 38-year-old had help from her mother-in-law during that stressful first month, but it had been years since the older woman had handled a newborn and she sometimes didn’t know what to do. Stressed by her low milk supply and deprived of sleep from having to express breast milk every three hours, Ms Sim’s mental health deteriorated.

During baby Elora’s one-month check-up, the doctor was concerned enough to refer Ms Sim to a social worker, who introduced her to KidStart. The eight-year-old program supports the development of children from low-income homes in areas such as nutrition and parenting strategies.

“This confidence really helped me not feel helpless and alone on this journey,” Ms Sim said.

“I know I have ready support behind me, I can just text and ask, I don’t need to be left hanging.”

A five-year study evaluating families participating in the program from 2017 to 2022, with the aim of assessing its effectiveness and potential for broader adoption, found that KidStart was helpful to both parents and children.

The program will be national in scope in 2025, when the final three towns – Queenstown, Clementi and Jurong East – join.

Ms. Sim’s KidStart practitioner came to her house every month to check in on her and answer her questions, from the appropriate water temperature for bathing her daughter to what to do when the baby refused to take the bottle.

KidStart Practitioners are trained, qualified or experienced professionals in the fields of early childhood, social work, counseling, psychology or social services.

The program curriculum includes six core modules covering child development, child safety, health and nutrition, quality parent-child interaction and family well-being.

Nearly 10,000 children have participated in KidStart since 2016.

A recent Center for Evidence and Implementation (CEI) study of a sample of 264 families found that KidStart home visits led to improved parenting, social support, and child outcomes.

At 12 months, KidStart parents were less stressed, considered themselves more competent than before, had better social support and more positive interactions with their child.

By age three, KidStart children also showed better social-emotional and daily living skills, and were more able to adapt and socialize than children who did not participate in the program.

The 133 families enrolled in KidStart were compared to a control group of 131 families not participating in the program.