Whole Child International is a U.S.-based non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 2004. Whole Child focuses on improving the quality of care for vulnerable children worldwide by working within childcare institutions and orphanages.
Collaborating with state and local governments, Whole Child leverages existing childcare systems to build culturally specific infrastructures that afford children the opportunity to fulfill their developmental potential. Whole Child programs are based on the two biggest contributors of inadequate care: caregiver education and training, and organizational structure. Whole Child programs address the “greater risk of psychopathology as well as poor social-emotional and physical development” of institutionalized children. These programs, developed in conjunction with university scientists and policy analysts, target the cycle of abuse and neglect that stems from poor early childhood care. To elevate the quality of care provided to institutionalized children, Whole Child works with existing childcare institutions and implements caregiver education and training, organizational change, and administrative modification. These changes ensure that the children receive nurturing, loving care, and that their emotional and developmental needs are fulfilled [1].
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Whole Child’s model is based on the theories of Hungarian pediatrician Emmi Pikler (1902–1984), the Program for Infant Toddler Caregivers and from the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood Education. The Pikler Institute, in Budapest, Hungary, was founded in 1946 to care for children orphaned and abandoned during the Second World War. Pikler’s methodology involves increasing opportunities for meaningful attachment and bonding between caregiver and child through “continuity of care.”
Continuity of care ensures that children have one consistent caregiver instead of multiple caregivers over a long period of time. It additionally creates of small groups assigned to a single caregiver to replace larger, more chaotic populations randomly assigned to and often non-continuous staff. Research has found that children with secure attachment relationships with their caregivers are more likely to play, explore, and interact with other adults (Raikes, 1996) [2]. Conversely, more frequent changes in caregivers have been reported to be associated with negative child outcomes including high levels of distress (Cryer et al., 2005) withdrawing behaviors and higher levels of aggression later on (Howes & Hamilton, 1993) [3].
Working with the governments of El Salvador and Nicaragua, Whole Child has implemented eight institutional interventions since 2006. In 2006, Whole Child began work with the government of Nicaragua to train caregivers at the El Diviño Niño children’s home in Managua to improve the quality childcare given to their children. Whole Child is collaborating with the First Lady of El Salvador, Dr. Vanda Pignato, to further expand the program in her country.
Karen Gordon, a Canadian-born American social entrepreneur, founded whole Child in 2004. Gordon’s exposure to the plight of institutionalized children motivated her to form Whole Child. Gordon has noted she looks to “fix orphanages one outpost at a time” after encountering resistance to help from international aid agencies.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) has recognized the work of Whole Child International since 2008, and in 2009 Whole Child was selected as “one of the top NGO’s” in the CGI membership roster. With funding from the Inter-American Development Bank, TACA Airlines, and SISEL International, Whole Child programs are being brought to scale through their 2009 Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action, “Elevating Early Childhood Care in Latin America.”
Whole Child works in collaboration with the University of Central America in Managua, Nicaragua, as well as the Pikler Institute, the Center for Excellence in Child Development at the University of California, Davis, the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh, and the WestEd Center for Child and Family Studies in Sausalito, California. They receive ongoing support from the Inter-American Development Bank, TACA Airlines, and SISEL International.
In March 2010, "A caregiver-child socioemotional and relationship rating scale" was published in the Infant Mental Health Journal with support from Whole Child.[4]
In February, 2010 His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize and the spiritual leader of Tibet, traveled to Los Angeles to support the global work of Whole Child. His Holiness joined Whole Child to launch a new initiative to create awareness of the plight of the estimated 145 million orphaned children worldwide [5].
At the Whole Child International luncheon His Holiness engaged the audience in a discussion on the needs of vulnerable children, and the connection between nurturing and compassion. During the luncheon, His Holiness received the first Whole Child International Humanitarian Award. This award honors one visionary global leader driven by a passion to elevate the lives of vulnerable populations; Whole Child International Humanitarians are recognized by their innovative and unyielding work to solve our most pressing global problems.
On February 21, 2010 at the Gibson Amphitheatre, His Holiness presented a public address “Cultivating Compassion and the Needs of Vulnerable Children,” his first in Los Angeles since 2006. They were joined by a musical performance by Sheryl Crow [6]. At the Gibson, the Whole Child International Champion Award, honoring an exceptional individual noted for his or her dedication to improving the lives of vulnerable children globally, was presented to Whole Child supporter Tom Mower, Sr., founder and Chairman of the Board of SISEL International [7].
While in Los Angeles, His Holiness was interviewed by Larry King in Beverly Hills [8]. The interview included His Holiness speaking on the need to address the emotional needs of children around the world.