Empowering Families, Transforming Futures

12:00 PM ET Thu., May. 01, 2025

Notre Dame’s involvement in education in Haiti began 2006, with support for Catholic schools. When the 2010 earthquake devastated Haiti, Notre Dame responded by helping to rebuild Basile Moreau, the Congregation of the Holy Cross’ flagship K-12 school, as well as broader engagement with Haiti’s Catholic schools in rural areas of the country. The Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child’s strategic education partnerships now extend to over 300 school communities—over 200 of which are Catholic. Listen in to a conversation focused on school-based work which began with the implementation and study of the impact of an early grade literacy program in Catholic schools in Haiti.

The University of Notre Dame’s Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child works to create pathways out of adversity for the world’s most vulnerable children in 25 countries around the world, leveraging evidence-based innovations to develop effective Whole Child Development (WCD) approaches to not only advance children’s academic achievement, but also create safe, supportive, and equitable family, school, and community environments. Join Kate Schuenke-Lucien, Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning, Father Lou DelFra ’92, M. Div. ’03, Director of Pastoral Life, Alliance for Catholic Education, and Makenzy Voltaire, Project Coordinator, Haiti for the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child for a conversation about the intersection of faith, science, and how faith communities can nurture and support families with young children. Take a deep dive into the importance of integrating the science of early childhood development with the Catholic Church’s teachings, and how Haitian parishes can empower parents. They explore the GC-DWC’s work in the home and what it means when we say that parents are the “first teachers,” and how that aligns with what we know from both Catholic Social Teaching and the latest scientific research.

Forging a Future in Haiti is sponsored on ThinkND by the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child, located within the Institute for Educational Initiatives at the University of Notre Dame.

The latest Forging a Future for Haiti conversation brought together three leaders working at the intersection of faith, education, and family life in Haiti: Kate Schuenke-Lucien (Director for Haiti and Senior Associate Director for Strategic Planning at the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child), Father Lou DelFra, C.S.C. ‘92, M. Div ‘03, (Director of Pastoral Life, Alliance for Catholic Education), and Makenzy Voltaire (Project Coordinator, Haiti). Their exchange explored how Catholic social teaching, neuroscience, and practical community programs are transforming the lives of children and parents across over 300 school communities in Haiti.

Building Whole Child Development Through Faith and Science

Kate Schuenke-Lucien began by grounding the discussion in Notre Dame’s long standing engagement with Catholic schools in Haiti—a partnership that deepened after the 2010 earthquake and now spans early literacy programs, school-community partnerships, and parish-based parenting workshops. Rather than focusing solely on academics, the Global Center’s work emphasizes the holistic development of children—emotional, spiritual, cognitive, and relational. Their model centers on creating safe, loving environments where families, not just classrooms, are seen as the starting point for lifelong well-being.

The Family as the First School of Love

Father Lou DelFra offered a powerful synthesis of Catholic theology and developmental science, describing the family as the “first school of love.” He emphasized that what neuroscience now confirms—that children’s brains are shaped by responsive, loving care—has long been at the heart of the Church’s vision of the human person. Using examples from scripture and Catholic social teaching, Father Lou argued that subsidiarity (the idea that those closest to the vulnerable should lead in care) demands that parents, especially in times of adversity, be seen as the primary educators and nurturers of their children.

Lifting Up What Parents Already Do

The conversation underscored that the most powerful interventions are often the simplest: picking up a crying child, speaking gently, responding with love. As Schuenke-Lucien noted, these small acts, supported by research, build the neurological foundation for lifelong learning, emotional health, and relational capacity. Crucially, this work doesn’t require wealth or formal education—it requires attention, compassion, and accompaniment.

From Pulpit to Parish Hall: A Community-Based Approach

Makenzy Voltaire detailed how parish-based parenting workshops in Haiti—co-led with priests and community leaders—equip caregivers with tools and knowledge across 7–10 sessions. Topics include positive discipline, early learning, emotional development, and nutrition. Fathers and young or expectant parents are intentionally included, with promising results. Using qualitative tools like the QUIP method, the team captures unfiltered feedback and behavioral change. Parents report less corporal punishment, improved communication, and deeper relationships with their children.

Parishes don’t just host programs—they embed child development messages into homilies, sacramental preparation, and everyday community life. In this model, the Church becomes not only a spiritual home but also a practical partner in supporting families facing extraordinary economic and social stress.

Faith, Resilience, and Creative Solutions

Throughout the conversation, the speakers honored the resilience of Haitian families who—despite poverty, displacement, and crisis—continue to show up for their children. The Global Center’s work emphasizes that love is not a luxury. Through innovations like solar-powered learning hubs made from shipping containers and targeted father engagement, the team is helping communities turn constraint into creativity.

At the same time, speakers were candid about the gaps. Nutrition, safety, and basic infrastructure remain daily challenges. That’s why the next phase of the work includes strategic fundraising, new partnerships, and training seminarians to become future champions for child development.

Forging Forward—With Families at the Center

The conversation closed with a clear message: transformation begins not with new programs, but with a renewed view of parents—as agents of change, not just recipients of help. Haiti’s future depends on the strength and dignity of its families. And the Church, when aligned with science and rooted in community, can be a powerful force for healing, formation, and generational impact.

Listeners are encouraged to follow the work of the Global Center for the Development of the Whole Child and stay connected to future conversations that continue lifting up the work of accompaniment and hope across Haiti.

Science and Faith: Natural Allies
Early in the conversation, Kate and Father Lou upend the tired narrative that science and faith are at odds. Instead, they show how Catholic theology and neuroscience share a mutual reverence for truth. Father Lou explains that the God who authored both the natural and supernatural realms allows each to illuminate the other. Scientific discoveries about childhood development—like how brains are built through loving connection—don’t contradict faith; they confirm what Catholic teaching has long affirmed. This reframing invites listeners to see faith and science not as rivals, but as collaborators in service of human dignity.

The “First School of Love”
When Father Lou names the family as the “first school of love,” it becomes a clarifying moment. Rooted in Catholic social teaching, this idea reframes parenting not as a set of tasks, but as a sacred vocation—regardless of income, literacy, or formal education. In this model, parents are not just caretakers; they are the first teachers of human dignity. This insight is both empowering and disruptive: it tells families, especially those facing material hardship, that they already have what matters most—the capacity to love.

Emotional Connection Literally Builds Brains
One of the most astonishing takeaways comes from Kate’s description of neuroimaging studies showing how love physically shapes a child’s brain. When babies receive consistent, responsive care, their neural networks “light up” with connection and growth. When that care is absent, entire regions of the brain remain underdeveloped—even if other needs like food and shelter are met. This science brings spiritual truths into stark, biological focus: to love a child is not just to nurture their soul, but to architect their mind.

Transforming Parenting Norms in Haiti
A quiet revolution is underway in Haitian households. As Mackenzie shares, families participating in parish-based parenting workshops are rethinking long-standing practices—like corporal punishment—and replacing them with positive discipline grounded in care, respect, and relationship. The shift is happening not through top-down mandates but through shared learning, spiritual affirmation, and concrete science. In communities shaped by adversity, these small shifts signal something bigger: a renewal of trust in parents’ own power to guide, nurture, and heal.

Baptism Prep as Parenting Formation
What if a baptism class could change the way a parent sees their child? In Haiti, that’s exactly what’s happening. Parishes are now using sacramental preparation as a touchpoint for deeper conversations about parenting, early childhood development, and the Church’s role in family life. This innovation blends theology with science, ritual with relationship. A moment that might otherwise be limited to liturgical logistics becomes a gateway into lifelong growth—for both children and parents.

Fathers: The Missing Ingredient
Haitian culture, like many others, often sidelines fathers in early childhood care. But that’s beginning to change. New workshops tailored for dads are inviting them back into the heart of family life—not just as providers or disciplinarians, but as nurturers and first teachers. Framed in the image of St. Joseph, fatherhood is reclaimed as a calling marked by tenderness, presence, and protection. The result isn’t just better child outcomes—it’s a broader reimagining of what strength, love, and leadership can look like in the home.

Faith and Science in Harmony:
“The creator of the natural world and the creator of the supernatural world are one and the same God. So, as we look at the natural world through scientific lenses, and then we look at what’s been revealed to us in the supernatural world by revelation, we should find deep compatibility between what we find in those two things.”
— Father Lou DelFra [00:03:25 → 00:03:47]
The Family as the First School of Love:
“The Church teaches that the family is—I love this little phrase—the first school of love.”
— Father Lou DelFra [00:08:26 → 00:08:31]
The Science of Love and Brain Development:
“They’ll do neuroimaging studies that will show how babies’ brains light up when they receive that loving interaction in their families or from other caregivers—that their brains literally light up.”
— Kate Schuenke-Lucien [00:10:09 → 00:10:21]
Empowered Parenting Changes Lives:
“When parents feel empowered and supported, they can make real changes that benefit their children in lasting ways.”
— Makenzy Voltaire [00:18:29 → 00:18:35]
Faith and Evidence in Agreement:
“What the Church is teaching is really being supported by what we’re learning through the science.”
— Kate Schuenke-Lucien [00:30:36 → 00:30:41]
Parental Involvement Pays Off:
“The programs have led to better coordination between families and schools, with parents becoming more involved in tracking their children’s progress and engaging in educational activities.”
— Makenzy Voltaire [00:33:02 → 00:33:50]

Empowering Families, Transforming Futures

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