Nurturing the Seed:
A Journey to Infant and Early Mental Health and Wellness

Nurturing the Seed (NTS) is an innovative infant and early mental health program that aims to support and strengthen the well-being of Indigenous children, parents/caregivers, and communities. NTS fosters local leadership, supports front-line service providers, and responds to the needs of families by providing tools, coaching, and resources specific to the health and development of infants and children (ages 0-5). NTS utilizes developmental screening and culturally relevant, relationship-focused planning to support optimal development in young children.

Created in 2019, the NTS model was co-designed by IEMHP in partnership with Indigenous Elders and experts to incorporate and reflect cultural practices and values. It was developed to address the challenges many families face in accessing timely and appropriate services and supports needed when developmental concerns arise. NTS offers responsive, simple, tangible strategies for families to incorporate into their daily lives immediately while waiting for specialized services that often have long waitlists.

NTS is an inclusive and flexible program that can be adapted by agencies based on their community’s unique needs and service delivery models. The NTS philosophy is rooted in three key concepts: (1) the first 5 years of life are crucial for a child's development, (2) parents and caregivers are the experts in their child's life, and (3) early developmental screening using tools such as the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQs) is vital.

The program utilizes customizable Developmental Support Plans (DSPs) to help nurture healthy development in the five domains through everyday activities and positive routines, fostering self-esteem and resilience.

For the creation of DSPs, service providers utilize the NTS web app. The app is based on the five domains, subdividing them into categories and then objectives to make it easy for service providers and caregivers to select goals to work on with the child. To help achieve each goal, the NTS app is strength-based and written in the voice of the child: beginning with “What I can already do”, followed by a database of strategies (activities/routines) to choose from, and concluding with the benefit or “Why this is important to me”.

For the past 6 years, IEMHP has worked closely with 10 communities across Canada which have been implementing NTS via a champion agency. There are many other organizations across the country which have independently integrated NTS into their practice and the services they offer to families. The process includes engagement with agency leaders, staff training, and family enrollment with a goal of at least 4 structured visits per child.

• Families: Caregivers express positive experiences, feeling more confident in supporting their child’s development, and improved family dynamics.
• Children: Early results demonstrate that NTS is successful in supporting child development and building relationships between children and their caregivers.
• Service Providers: Training and ongoing supports help service providers increase skill and confidence in using tools to assess development and respond in a timely manner, enhancing job satisfaction and effectiveness.
• Communities: NTS fosters a shared language for child development, enhancing collaboration among caregivers and service providers as well as among agencies and community.

The project aims to evaluate NTS’s impact while addressing a national gap in data for children ages 0–5. There are currently 10 sites participating in the NTS evaluation project. Key features include:

• Data collection by trained service providers
• Voluntary and confidential family participation
• Following the OCAP principles (Ownership, Control, Access, Possession)
• Additional supports provided to partner sites by IEMHP

Nurturing the Seed works in partnership with Indigenous communities across Canada.  Our partnerships are key to the success of the program as they continuously support the ongoing enhancements and adaptations to the program.

Site Partners:

• Amiskwaciy Cultural Society – Edmonton, AB
• Bent Arrow Traditional Healing Society – Edmonton, AB
• Aamjiwnaang First Nation – Sarnia, ON
• Child & Youth Milopemahtesewin Services – Moosonee/Moose Factory, ON
• Georgian Bay Native Women’s Association – Midland, ON
• Keepers of the Circle – New Liskeard & Kirkland Lake, ON
• Kids First North – La Ronge & Creighton, SK
• Mino M’shki-ki Indigenous Health Team – New Liskeard & Kirkland Lake, ON
• Orillia Native Women’s Group – Orillia, ON

Academic Partners: Queen’s University, University of Ottawa, University of Calgary

Other: Nishnawbe Aski Nation, Pikangikum Health Authority

NTS is funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

For more information, please contact Lesley Watts, Senior Program Manager.