Early childhood development programme schritt:weise

schritt:weise (step by step) is a play based learning programme for children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. The programme is offered in both the German and French-speaking parts of Switzerland.  In addition to supporting the child at home, the social network of the family and strengthening parents’ skills also play a key role.

schritt:weise is a preventive early childhood development programme for children aged 1-5 from socially or educationally disadvantaged families.

schritt:weise is based on the «Stap» programmes which were developed in the Netherlands. The a:primo association has adapted these programmes to the situation in Switzerland and provides them to partner organisations in cities and municipalities across Switzerland to implement    

The schritt:weise programme consists of weekly home visits lasting approximately 30 minutes. They are carried out by trained laypersons who are mothers from the target group.
Group meetings also take place every two weeks. At these meetings, social contacts are made and information about development and raising children is passed on to the parents. These meetings are run by the coordinator.

The home visiting programme schritt:weise aims to support parents using model based learning. It lasts 18 months and primarily takes place in the families’ homes.
This low-threshold access structure means families who do not make use of other family educational support services are also reached. The programme focuses on using existing resources and strengthening the families’ individual responsibility.

The local coordinator provides the instructions and manages the team of home visitors. The coordinator is a qualified specialist from the field of social work or education. The coordinator's tasks also include family acquisition, the organisation of group meetings, networking with other social facilities in the area and PR work.

The home visiting programme schritt:weise has objectives on three different levels:

The schritt:weise programme gives socially disadvantaged children a good start in life. Through the playing and learning experiences children have with their parents each day, they expand their linguistic, motor, cognitive, social and emotional skills. Parents engaging with their children in a regular and focused manner supports the secure attachment of the child.

One core objective of the programme is to improve and intensify the interaction between the parent and the child. The aim is for parents to become more confident in their interaction with their children. In order to do this, their parenting abilities are improved and they are sensitised to the age-specific needs of their children. The home visitor communicates the practical approach during their visit using model based learning.    

The aim is for talking and playing together to become increasingly significant and for this to lead to a positive family environment. The family as a whole benefits from the transfer of knowledge to the raising of siblings. The families are made aware of the services in their city or municipality and become more integrated into the social network. The language skills of migrant families improve as a result of their interaction with the work materials and their growing social network.