Supporting Secure Attachment: Make the Connection Program
Our Attachment Program, Make the Connection (MTC), empowers parents and caregivers of infants (birth to age 3) with practical tools to nurture secure attachment and build strong, healthy parent-child relationships from the very start. Grounded in the latest psychological research, this evidence-based program provides practical strategies and activities to help parents and caregivers support secure attachment, brain development, and emotional well-being.
By helping parents and caregivers understand their baby’s needs in a whole new way, the Make the Connection (MTC) program enables them to feel more confident, connected, and equipped in their parenting role—one meaningful connection at a time.
Importance of Secure Attachment
Secure attachment has been found to be the best foundation and predictor of healthy self-esteem, optimum cognitive, language and social development, impulse control and general success in school. It is also within primary relationships that infants organize their sense of self and of others and internalize expectations that determine how they will engage in all future relationships.
Foundations of MTC
Make the Connection focuses on the Seven Pillars of Attachment to support parents/caregivers to:
- Create a loving connection with their child
- Become their child’s secure base
- Accept their child’s feelings
- Set limits with love
- Promote language development
- Engage in meaningful baby conversations
- Be an active and attentive play partner
Objectives & Outcomes of MTC
MTC is a universal program that can be offered to general or at-risk populations of families. The overall objectives are to help support parents in fostering their infant’s attachment, language and learning by:
- Responding to their infants feelings and needs (MTC with LOVE)
- Communicating and talking with their infant (MTC with LANGUAGE)
- Facilitating their infant’s learning through play (MTC with LEARNING)
So that their baby:
- Develops a secure attachment
- Establishes the two-way affective and functional communication required for language
- Develops the curiosity and confidence necessary to explore and learn
So that their toddler:
- Develops a healthy balance between attachment and autonomy
- Acquires a vocabulary of first words and engages in simple, verbal conversations
- Builds a capacity for pretending, problem-solving and persistence
Facilitator-Led by an Early Years Professional
The Make the Connection (MTC) Facilitator Guide equips early years professionals with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to deliver the MTC program to the families they support through engaging, live weekly sessions.
Designed to complement the MTC online program, the structured 9-week Facilitator-led program provides a clear, practical framework for group or one-on-one delivery with parents, caregivers, and their infants. The Guide offers detailed templates for seamlessly program delivery, providing facilitators with step by step instructions, talking points, discussion questions and more!
Looking for more support? Our MTC Facilitator Training, led by our Attachment Expert, offers early years professionals an in-depth review of the program — ensuring they feel confident and equipped to deliver it to the families they serve.
NEW Make the Connection Facilitator Guide available May 2025.
Learn more about the MTC Facilitator Guide
This comprehensive resource helps bring the MTC online program to life through live, weekly sessions facilitated by a professional—supporting families in fostering secure attachment and building strong, healthy parent-child relationships from the very start.
Designed to complement the MTC online program, the Facilitator Guide offers a clear, practical framework for leading families through nine live sessions. Each week focuses on a specific topic to bolster healthy parent-child relationships including, an introduction to the secure attachment process, 7 key pillars of attachment, and the importance of co-regulation.
Inside the MTC Facilitator Guide, professionals will find:
- Program foundations, goals and attachment theory.
- Step-by-step templates for weekly delivery.
- Key directions & discussion questions to guide meaningful conversations.
- Facilitator talking points and tips.
- Video integration from the online program to enhance learning in live sessions.
Learn more about the Facilitator Training
Our virtual MTC Facilitator Training equips early years professionals with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to effectively deliver the Make the Connection program. During the training, participants receive a comprehensive walkthrough of the MTC program, take a deep dive into the weekly topics, and receive helpful support for program delivery.
The LIVE training includes (value of $75/person):
- An interactive 2.5-hour virtual training led by our Attachment Expert
- A PDF copy of the MTC Facilitator Guide (value of $25)
- Access to the MTC Online program
Independent Learning for Parents & Caregivers with MTC Online!
Looking for a helpful resource to share with the parents and caregivers you support?
Point them to makingtheconnectionmatters.com — a free, self-guided resource they can explore anytime to help build strong, healthy relationships with their little ones.
The Make the Connection (MTC) Online program is a self-paced, 8-week, direct-to-parent program that equips parents and caregivers with the tools to support their child’s brain development and foster a secure attachment, all from the comfort of their home.
