Marie Meierhofer Institute for the Child

What Marie Meierhofer Institute for the Child does

Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind (MMI) is a Zürich-based, privately held Swiss non-profit research institute founded in 1957 that integrates basic research, practice-oriented projects, counseling, continuing education, and community engagement around early childhood development. Its work spans five operational pillars: Beratung (counseling for families and authorities including KESB/courts), Bildung (continuing education including the MMI-IMPULSE webinar series and practitioner courses such as Kindesanhörungen durchführen), Forschung (research projects producing a numbered Evidence Brief series, most recently Brief 9 on screen media), Wissen (publications and the undKinder magazine), and the MegaMarie family center with its MegaMariePlus extension.

The underlying 'product' is applied child-development expertise delivered through human-led services and printed/digital publications rather than a software platform. Revenue mechanics are diversified across a small online shop (e.g., Emo-Memo game at 22 CHF, undKinder subscription at 24.70 CHF plus free open-access publications), donations and memberships, paid counseling and training fees, and project-based co-funding from partners including the Roger Federer Foundation, UNICEF, the University of Zürich, and PHZH. Customer segments split between individual families (MegaMarie and shop), Swiss authorities and courts (counseling and child-hearing work), and professional/educational institutions (training and research dissemination).

MMI competes less on commercial differentiation and more on institutional credibility, sustained by 65+ years of continuous operation, annual reports dating to 1970, and recurring co-production with Swiss academic institutions. There is no disclosed AI, software platform, or technology stack; the institute's defensibility rests on its research archive, brand, and ecosystem partnerships rather than on proprietary technology.

Name

Marie Meierhofer Institute for the Child

Legal name

Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind (MMI)

Website

https://mmi.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind is a Zürich-based Swiss non-profit research institute founded in 1957 that delivers counseling, continuing education, applied research, publications, and family-center services to children, families, authorities, and professional institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Development Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & MTSS/RTI Tiered SEL Supports (EDAKAMAE)

Keywords

• Early childhood research
• Family counseling services
• Child development education
• Expert assessments courts
• Professional training courses

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shop Sales: Sale of publications, educational games (such as Emo-Memo memory game), brochures, and magazines including the 'undKinder' magazine series.
2. Membership and Donations: Gönner:innen (patrons/members) program and donations to support the institute's mission.
3. Consulting Services: Professional consultation services for children, families, authorities (KESB/courts), and institutional professionals.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind (MMI) is a non-profit research institute founded in 1957/1958 in Zürich that delivers counseling, education, and applied research services focused on the healthy development of children and young people. It operates distinct service lines: Beratung (counseling for children/families, authorities such as courts and KESB, and professionals), Bildung (continuing education, courses, and webinars such as MMI-IMPULSE), and Forschung (basic and practice-oriented research projects). It also runs the MegaMarie family center and publishes the undKinder magazine plus related products such as the Emo-Memo emotional learning game.

Product overview

Marie Meierhofer Institut für das Kind (MMI) is a Swiss research institute that operates a multi-service platform centered on early childhood development, family welfare, and professional education. The organization offers an e-commerce shop for publications including the undKinder magazine series, the MMI Emo-Memo educational game, and free research-based brochures. Services include expert counseling for children, families, and authorities (Beratung), continuing education programs and webinars (Bildung), and research projects producing evidence briefs and publications (Forschung). The MegaMarie program provides family-oriented activities and events. The portfolio functions as an integrated ecosystem where research informs publications and educational offerings, while the shop serves as the distribution channel for both commercial products and free resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MegaMarie: A program and space operated by MMI offering activities and services for children and families.
• undKinder
• Evidence Briefs
• MMI-IMPULSE

Products and services

• Beratung (Counseling Services)

Quantifiable outcome

• Research findings published in peer-reviewed Evidence Briefs series and presented at annual Zürich Research Conference

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Roger Federer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2023The Roger Federer Foundation financed the 'Early Moves' initiative and the publication 'Frühe Kindheit bewegt' (Early Childhood in Motion), launched on November 27, 2023, during the foundation's 20th anniversary celebration.
• Pädagogische Hochschule Zürich (PHZH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch cooperation on the 'Playfulness in Early Childhood' project, resulting in Evidence Briefs 6, 7, and 8 on early childhood development and play.
• University of ZürichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual cooperation for the Zürich Research Conference (Zürcher Forschungstagung), now in its 12th edition, focusing on child cognition and development research.
• UNICEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation project with UNICEF on the 'Kindesanhörung' (Child Hearing) brochure, a sustainable project providing guidance on conducting child hearings.
• SRF (Swiss Radio and Television)minorOthersMedia partner providing coverage of MMI research findings, including long-term studies on early childhood development and the effects of nurturing on child outcomes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jacobs Foundation: Swiss foundation focused on child and youth development that funds research, programs, and advocacy. Comparable to MMI for its Swiss base, child development focus, and role in convening research-to-practice work via partnerships with academic and policy actors.
• Kinderschutz Schweiz: Swiss foundation dedicated to child protection in Switzerland, providing advice, publications, and training on child welfare. Comparable to MMI's focus on child welfare, family counseling, and provision of expertise for KESB (child protection authorities) and courts.
• Deutsches Jugendinstitut (DJI): Germany's largest interdisciplinary research institute on children, youth, and families, conducting applied research and advising policy. Directly comparable to MMI as a publicly-funded applied research institute producing publications, training, and consulting for government and practitioners in the German-speaking region.
• Child Trends: US nonprofit research organization producing data, research reports, and policy analysis on child wellbeing. Comparable to MMI for its research-driven nonprofit model, focus on early childhood development, and dissemination of evidence-based publications to practitioners and policymakers.
• Bernard van Leer Foundation: Dutch foundation focused on early childhood development worldwide, funding research, programs, and policy advocacy. Comparable to MMI for its early childhood focus, research-to-practice pipeline, and reliance on foundation partnerships to fund work.
• National Children's Bureau (NCB): UK-wide charity bringing together organizations working with and for children, providing research, policy, and practice support. Comparable to MMI for its research-to-practice model, focus on child welfare policy advice, and continuing education offerings for practitioners.
• Pro Juventute: Switzerland's leading organization for child and youth welfare, providing services, advice, and advocacy. Comparable to MMI for its Swiss base, mixed model of counseling and family services, publications, and government/authority cooperation.
• ZERO TO THREE: US nonprofit focused on healthy development of infants and toddlers, providing professional development, publications, and policy advocacy. Comparable to MMI's early childhood focus, SEL/mental health content, professional training programs, and research-driven publications.

Broad incumbents

• PH Bern (Pädagogische Hochschule Bern): Swiss teacher education university with applied research on child development and pedagogy. Comparable to MMI for its Swiss base, focus on early childhood education research, and continuing education offerings for professionals, though broader in academic scope.
• NORCE Norwegian Research Centre: Norwegian research centre conducting applied research across health, education, and social sciences including child development work. Comparable to MMI for its applied research orientation and interdisciplinary approach to child wellbeing, though larger in scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Marie Meierhofer Institute for the Child