DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE PRODUCT AND PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT

MARKET DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

PROMOTING DEVELOPMENTAL POTENTIAL AND OPTIMAL OUTCOMES OF CHILDHOOD

Using best practices from developmental science, pediatrics, and learning design, Child Insights helps companies, brands, and organizations to understand the developmental considerations of their efforts to reach and connect with children and parents through the design and development of products and programs that responsibly deliver value through entertainment, play, and learning.

Child Insights also works with organizations, corporations, government agencies and professionals who design and offer products and services for children and families to help them reach and engage their target audiences and build affinity and loyalty using communications strategies, strategic collaboration, constituency relations and value-added offerings.

Child Insights works directly with service providers and the health policy community to design systems of care for which promote children’s developmental potential and help them flourish, create and sustain a vibrant and stable family life, manage their conditions and orchestrate the healthcare and educational systems to ensure their needs are met

Steven Merahn, MD, FAAP
Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Child Insights was founded by Steven Merahn, MD, a pediatrician with special training in child and adolescent psychodynamic psychotherapy, and interests in child development and behavior, parent-child interaction, and families with special needs. He also has extensive experience as a corporate executive with strategic program development, product management, communications and marketing, public affairs, customer engagement and relationship management, interactive technologies, and innovations management.

Most recently Dr. Merahn has served in Chief Medical Officer roles with organizations providing services to children with autism, developmental disabilities, and other special needs populations. He started his career with the New York City Department of Health, where he shaped policy and developed programs for early childhood, infant care, early intervention, and families with special needs.

Early in his career was a consultant to regional Head Start, created a line of developmental toys for Century Products and served as a product development advisor and media and programming consultant to Scholastic, the Children’s Television Workshop, Gerber Baby Products, the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and Word World, among others. He was a cast member of the award-winning nationally syndicated interactive children’s radio program KidsAmerica and was a pediatrician-in-residence at the Bank Street College of Education. He has presented at professional conferences and lectured extensively across the United States on child development, behavioral health, and experience design.

Trained at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, Dr. Merahn is the father of four children.

KEY INSIGHTS INTO POLICIES AND PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN

WHO DO WE WORK WITH?

Child Insights uses a framework based on the principles of Developmental Responsibility™ to provide strategic insights, support solution development and problem resolution, and shape market development activities for clients

  • Development: does the product or service support (or impede) developmental pathways, or is it ‘developmentally neutral'?
  • Learning: does the product or service advance learning or education in a developmentally appropriate manner?
  • Health: does the product or service advance (or impede) a child’s health status?
  • Family: does the product or service support positive and productive family function?
  • Fun: is the product or service fun or entertaining?

  • Juvenile products manufacturers
  • Children's publishing and media companies
  • Children's media producers
  • Toy and game companies
  • Children's products manufacturers
  • Educational services and technology companies
  • Managed care organizations and health plans
  • Behavioral health organizations/networks, including Autism Services providers
  • Health systems and accountable care organizations
  • Marketing communications and public relations agencies
  • Museums and theme parks; event planners
  • Government agencies and non-government organizations (NGOs)​