Mission

Achieving better health outcomes
for children and their families

“We are a team of passionate and highly responsive experts and advisors who are wholly committed to pushing the boundaries on what is possible in order to make real and rapid change happen.”

Scott Berns, MD, MPH, FAAP
NICHQ President and CEO

Deep flaws in the systems responsible for children’s health perpetuate suffering for our nation’s children and their families. Among developed countries, the United States consistently remains among the worst performing on common indicators of well-being, especially for Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) children and families. While committed professionals and organizations nationwide work diligently for improvement, unfortunately, disparate efforts, poorly defined or misaligned initiatives, and social determinants affecting health make improvement a highly complex and challenging endeavor. This is where NICHQ’s expertise comes in.

We are a mission-driven nonprofit dedicated to driving dramatic and sustainable improvements in the complex issues facing children’s health. We are committed to creating and promoting new approaches for lasting systems change to improve children's health. With the help of a network of exceptional and dedicated partners, every day we move closer to our vision of a world where every child achieves their optimal health.

Our Core Values

As an entire staff, we co-created our updated Values over the course of several months. This process resulted in value statements reflective of our entire organization, regardless of department. These values are both our north star and a reminder of what we strive to do every day.

NICHQ mission, vision, values, strategic direction graphic

Our Strategic Direction

NICHQ's 2026 strategic plan is an evolution in the direction NICHQ is taking to meet its mission and vision. The organization has always focused its impact in the healthcare arena and expanded our impact to the population health level for the last strategic plan in 2020. With our 2026 strategic focus, we are widening our acknowledgment of the role of families and caregivers of all kinds. This includes a focus on health equity and the significant needs and opportunities in addressing social determinants of health.