The Happy Child Program

The Brazilian government has the largest home visitation program for monitoring early childhood in the world, the Happy Child Program (Programa Criança Feliz). More than 50 million visits have already been made to ensure that every child develops to the best of of their abilities.

The program seeks to strengthen family ties. It prepares pregnant women for birth and for first-time care, informs families about their rights to health and social services, to a minimum income, and integrates actions in the areas of education, justice, culture and human rights.

In 2019, Criança Feliz won the globally prestigious Wise awards for one of the most innovative initiatives in the field. It’s Brazil's conviction that early childhood is an absolute priority to development; monitoring at this stage can break cycles of poverty and vulnerability.