Raising Children

Two series of 10 x 24 mins

100+ short form clips on website and app

The Raising Children content has been made by Raising Children Media Ltd – a separate company to Homegrown TV. It was also set up by Jude Dobson (Homegrown company director) with the express purpose of putting this particular project together with Government, NGO and philanthropic partners for a broadcast audience, as well as a digital one.

The collective vision was to work together to make a comprehensive audio-visual multi-platform resource for parents and providers alike on what it takes to raise a child – the need to know / everyday stuff to navigate, with solid research behind the advice, and content checked by an Advisory Board.

The content (10 x half hours) originally played on TVNZ 7 in 2011, covering the under-fives and also played in overseas markets. A free DVD was also sent out to every first time parent in NZ via their Well Child / Tamariki Ora health care provider for the following three years.

By 2015, with more funding the existing library was completely overhauled and re-versioned, some content removed and more added, to become a series of 20 half hour episodes covering newborn to age ten. It played at 4pm and 8pm on TVNZ Heartland.

100+ short form (sub 5 min) clips were loaded on a new website and app and a free DVD again rolled out to first time parents for whom data was a roadblock to watching. With the media move to online content, the new app delivered regular child development tips up to the age of five. 

The digital life of this project continues to be extended with the help of Government. The shared goal is to get quality information to parents in bite sized chunks. Content areas vary from sleeping and eating, health and well-being and early learning, to family food ideas, being active, general developmental information, and the parenting challenges of the age. There’s also a fun series of child friendly science experiments, demonstrated by two 10 year old friends.

The on-screen experts are all highly regarded professionals in their fields and a well known New Zealanders also share their parenting tips along the way. It is a unique (and uniquely NZ) resource.

Check it out at: www.raisingchildren.org.nz