Our Mission

To empower isolated, at-risk mothers by helping them develop the knowledge and capacity they need to take control of their lives and become confident parents and engaged citizens.

Our Vision

To foster a Canadian society where all mothers and their children can achieve full and lead enriched lives.

What is the Mothers Matter Centre?

The Mothers Matter Centre is a registered Canadian charity that develops and licenses social service programs to empower isolated, at-risk mothers in low-income newcomer and Indigenous communities across Canada.

The Mothers Matter Centre's flagship program is Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY), which employs a unique mother-to-mother home-visiting delivery model. HIPPY coaches mothers to become confident parents and gives them the resources and tools to become engaged citizens as they prepare their preschool aged children for success in school. The Mothers Matter Centre works with isolated mothers where they live – at home – and connecting them with other mothers in their communities who share an intimate awareness of the issues and challenges they face. Its at-home model allows the program to reach the most isolated mothers who are unable to benefit from centre-based programs.

The Mothers Matter Centre licenses its programs to community organizations across Canada who bring the programs to life with families in their communities. Throughout its relationship with the program delivery partners, the Mothers Matter Centre provides programming support, including: training and professional development, program impact and participant performance metrics, and program curriculum enhancements that are based on current research and best practices to support effective programming. Many of the HIPPY Home Visitors are former HIPPY mothers, providing employment and inclusion opportunities for populations facing multiple barriers to employment. The Mothers Matter Centre will continue training HIPPY Home Visitors to support mothers and their families transition out of isolation and into community and economic life, expanding HIPPY with important program innovations.

While the Mothers Matter Centre is committed to continuing to grow and sustain its flagship HIPPY program, it is also dedicated to developing program innovations. Some of these include: Bond to Literacy (a HIPPY-lite program for families facing more acute challenges), Supporting Mothers and Raising Toddlers (an early learning program for children too young for HIPPY), Reviving Hope and Home (a modified HIPPY program targeting settlement for Government Assisted Refugees), and Early Language Learning (language instruction for immigrant and refugee mothers with low-level English language skills) that are delivered independently or in conjunction with the HIPPY program.

The Mothers Matter Centre has helped more than 14,000 mothers gain new skills and build confidence and abilities essential to strengthening mother-child relationships. This means more than 14,000 children were better prepared to get the most from their early school experiences and many more than 40,000 lives have been positively impacted.

With programs present in close to 30 communities across Canada, the Mothers Matter Centre invites you to be part of this powerful change.