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.

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.