Naître et grandir is a free website, mobile application and magazine dedicated to providing reliable, scientifically-validated information on child development, from pregnancy to age 8. Naître et grandir has no profit-making objectives, no commercial ties and does not carry any advertising. Naître et grandir is funded by the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation. Naître et grandir is committed to absolute independence in terms of its content. There are no known financial conflicts of interest with our partners, the healthcare professionals who review our content, or the people who collaborate with us.
Our approach
Children are just as unique as their parents, and making decisions in the best interest of one’s child is extremely personal. While there are certain principles that everyone agrees on when it comes to raising a child, the best approach often depends on the situation.
We strive to provide parents with the information they need to make day-to-day decisions in their role as educators. We believe that children benefit in every way when their parents have access to the best scientific information available, both on how to raise a child and on children’s health and development. We present this information in language that is accessible to all parents. In addition, we work with the best experts in Canada and maintain a rigorous quality control process that ensures we deliver content you can trust.
Rather than telling parents what to do, we provide information and guidance on how to implement different strategies. We believe that parents are in the best position to make decisions about their children based on their values, lifestyle, and personal experience.
Our audience
Naître et grandir is for mothers, fathers, grandparents, and anyone else who has the responsibility of caring for a child. Our goal is to raise awareness among parents, and Quebec society as a whole, of the importance of fostering children’s development from an early age to create conditions and environments conducive to their success.
Inclusion and diversity
Naître et grandir provides neutral information, to be followed at parents’ discretion. Because our mission centres on the development of all children, we aim to address all parents, regardless of gender, sexual identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, etc. A parent is a parent.
We recognize that culture and identity play a strong role in parenting; for this reason, we support parents’ right to accept or reject information based on their values and beliefs. We are also aware that some content may not represent the reality of all children, parents, and families.
Our content
We write our own content, but we have also chosen to use or adapt quality content produced by credible, recognized organizations. As we grow, we will continue to focus on opportunities to partner with experts, both individual and corporate, to provide the community with trustworthy scientific information pertaining to early childhood.
Naître et grandir’s methodology is to publish texts that provide accurate, practical, and to-the-point information while incorporating important scientific research.
Our writers consult multiple sources, and references are provided at the end of every text to direct the reader to further research. Before being published, the content is reviewed by an independent expert. In addition, all web content is subject to a permanent review process.
Our writing method is consistent with our philosophy of providing information to parents so they can make their own decisions. We offer them tools and information—not rules on how to raise a child.
In short, our content can be described as follows:
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Realistic: highlights simple and practical advice on raising a child
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Respectful: encourages parents to make their own decisions (we don’t tell parents how to act or what values to have)
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Understanding: acknowledges and validates parents’ different perspectives and recognizes that parents do the best they can, sometimes in difficult circumstances
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Positive: conveys optimism and the belief that parents can make positive changes in their own lives and in the lives of their children
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Collaborative: keeps our readers in mind and takes their feedback into account
Controversy
We recognize that there can be controversy about how to raise a child. There can even be differences of opinion among researchers and practitioners regarding children’s health and development.
Our approach to controversial issues is based on two key principles: the quality of the scientific evidence and the need for balance.
Our scientific experts help us popularize the science on specific issues (for example, by telling us what has and hasn’t been established), draw our attention to recent or innovative research that should be considered, suggest alternative solutions, and inform us of the validity of certain recommendations.
Naître et grandir is accessible in several forms:
Our app
Available on iOS and Android, our entirely free app enables parents to follow their child’s development, from pregnancy to 3 years of age. Each week, a personalized pregnancy tracker offers tailored information and images to follow the progress of the fetus (available in French only). It’s also possible to track several children at a glance, whatever their stage of development. Our secure application offers reliable content adapted to the reality of parents in Quebec, validated by health professionals and free of advertising. More than 55,000 people have downloaded it and are using it.
Our website
Naître et grandir is also online, with over 73 million page views annually. One of the features on our site is a timeline that allows you to follow your child’s emotional, motor, intellectual, and social development. It is divided into the following periods: pregnancy, 0 to 12 months, 1 to 3 years, 3 to 5 years, and 5 to 8 years.
You can also sign up for a free, personalized newsletter (available in French only) tailored to the age of your child to follow their development week after week. To date, the newsletter has more than 227,000 subscribers.
Naître et grandir also reaches parents by distributing content on social media—namely, on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. The Naître et grandir Facebook page has over 315,000 followers.
Our magazine
With a circulation of over 275,000, our magazine is published seven (7) times a year and available free of charge in some 5,000 locations, including childcare centres (CPEs), daycares, health network organizations (CLSCs, family medicine groups and hospitals, youth centres), kindergartens, libraries, and many community organizations. Consult our locator (available in French only) to see where our magazine is offered near you.
Our social campaigns
From 2009 to 2017, Naître et grandir launched major social campaigns every fall to educate parents about the importance of stimulating children from infancy. These campaigns included advertisements and participation in events across Quebec.
Over the years, several topics have been addressed:
We’re here to listen
We don’t expect parents to be perfect, and we know that we aren’t perfect either! We also know that every family is unique, and that some content may not represent the lived reality of all children, parents, and families. Help us make Naître et grandir the resource you need! If you like or dislike something published by Naître et grandir, or if you think a topic is missing, please let us know. You can send us your comments via our contact page (French only).
We hope that what we offer makes your role as a parent and educator easier, and that we can grow together!
February 2023