Switzerland

Switzerland

In partnership with MMI

Creating, trying things out, and discovering the world with all your senses: learning through play and mutual exchange is fun, but it also gives children all-important brain food. The first six years are more crucial to our development than any other period in our lives.  What children learn at this age and how they are treated shape their future well-being and success.


Children need suitable encouragement, including a stimulating environment and loving support to develop positively and enjoy equal chances in life. Parents and other caregivers have a key role to play.  Unequal opportunities have a direct and lasting impact on children from socially disadvantaged families.


This is where The Human Safety Net for Families program in partnership with Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind comes in. It provides an accompanied environment in which children can play and be creative while parents from many different backgrounds can share their thoughts on child education and motivate each other.


MegaMarie is a space to meet, play, and be creative, accompanies parents and children under six on everyday excursions of discovery. In an age dominated by tablets and mobile phones, singing, painting, reading, or making DIY activities together is more than welcome. The program aims to inspire parents and other caregivers of young children by giving them the opportunity to exchange views and get advice from the professionals.

The program

MegaMarie is a space to meet, play and be creative. More than 800 children participated to the activities in 2019.

Partner involved

Local activities

Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind
Growing up healthy

MegaMarie is a project run by the Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind (MMI). For over 60 years, this center of excellence for early childhood development has been committed to ensuring that children get what they need to grow up healthy, both inside and outside the family. In addition to facilitating time-tested play and learning opportunities, MMI and its partners use the space to try out new ideas. This is where research and practice meet: in the future, the findings will be put into practice in other centers as well as being incorporated into the basic and advanced training curriculum for playgroup leaders and nursery staff.