Children from vulnerable families are at higher risk of developmental and behavioural issues. Find out how 150 mothers have benefited from effective parenting skills.

Two years ago when Ms. Alice Low discovered that she was pregnant with her first child, she was unprepared and at a loss.  

At the time, she was working 12-hour shifts at her dishwashing job. She was 25, and the pregnancy experience was new and daunting for her. Her husband was working at the same company as an operations manager.

The family was experiencing financial difficulties and Ms. Low had to manage the physical demands of her job during her pregnancy. This left her with little time to think about adequate antenatal care.

“I was clueless about what to expect,” said the mother.

For such families, early intervention is instrumental. Providing antenatal support, care and education to the mother from pregnancy encourages the healthy development and early stimulation of the baby. As the baby grows, the needs of the child evolve and it is important that the parents are supported so the child can learn and develop well.

The Temasek Foundation’s Kids Integrated Development Service 0-3 (KIDS 0-3) programme does just that. It journeys with the mother from pregnancy until the child is three years old. KIDS 0-3 provides parents and caregivers with easy access to information and support that equip them with effective parenting skills.

Piloted in 2014, this programme is a partnership between KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), AMKFSC Community Services Ltd and Temasek Foundation.

It has reached out to 150 mothers from vulnerable families to date, providing them with a community health and social care support system. This includes home visits by nurses and community health visitors with support from a transdisciplinary team including paediatricians, allied health professionals and social workers.

“The nurse guided me during and after the pregnancy, such as how to shower and breastfeed the baby, and how to take care of her well-being,” said Ms. Low, who now assists her husband in managing the accounts of the dishwashing firm.

“I could learn some things from the Internet, but sometimes they are not true. I would understand things better from the nurse and the Community Health Visitor. It has helped me as a new mother,” she explained.

Support system

“Children from vulnerable families are at higher risk of developmental and behavioural issues,” said Adjunct Associate Professor Winnie Goh, who is the Programme Lead for the KIDS 0-3 programme and Senior Consultant at KKH’s Division of Medicine.

“Environmental factors may contribute to poorer antenatal care and a child’s exposure to adverse childhood experiences in early childhood. Early intervention is therefore necessary to empower and protect the young child,” she added.

KIDS 0-3 provides support to mothers from challenging socio-economic backgrounds.

The KIDS 0-3 programme identifies these mothers from vulnerable families early. Apart from home visits by nurses and community health visitors to check in on the mother and baby, the programme’s one-stop centre in Ang Mo Kio provides a space for mothers to network with each other and their children to come together to play.

Parents are also able to attend workshops on topics such as early literacy, parent-child interaction, managing toddler behaviour, childhood immunisation, breastfeeding, maternal and child nutrition, as well as common childhood illnesses like jaundice.

Some mothers may find pregnancy and motherhood a stressful experience, and be at a loss of how to care for their babies, but KIDS 0-3 Nurse, Ms. Paandi Selvi D/O Ponnusamy, is helping to change that.

She said: “Sometimes, if the mother said she has fed the child, we may need to clarify further. Some mothers may not be aware of the formula feed ratio and may end up feeding their babies incorrectly.”

“We also advocate for the health of the young infant by ensuring that the physical environment is safe and clean. For example, making sure that the environment is free of cigarette smoke to avoid any harmful exposure to a very young infant,” she added.

At the ten-week mark, KIDS 0-3 Nurse Selvi will then hand over the case to a Community Health Visitor who will focus on development-centered parenting, parent-child interaction and family well-being until the child turns three. During the home visits, the Community Health Visitor will monitor the child’s developmental growth while facilitating activities to suit the child.

Essential early years

Research has shown that the first three years of a child’s life is a critical period to lay a strong foundation for optimising development in children.

“For example, a child’s learning foundation is built on positive interactions between parent and child in a safe, stable and nurturing environment,” said Assoc Prof Goh.

"Early childhood behavioural development requires regular routines and healthy boundaries. The key workers in the KIDS 0-3 programme ensure that the parents set good routines and define behavioural boundaries at an early age,” she added.

The programme has shown results. Children born to mothers who enrolled into the programme early in antenatal period had better health and development. They were heavier at birth and more likely to be immunised against harmful childhood diseases.

Almost all babies – 97 per cent – also had normal cognitive abilities. This is significantly higher than previously found in studies on children from families with challenging socio-economic backgrounds.

Children under the programme also had fewer emotional and behavioural problems, and their parents had better relationships with them too.

Today, Ms. Low’s daughter is a healthy and active two-year-old who looks forward to attending preschool soon.