Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş, in the introduction program of the “My First Teacher, My Family” mobile application, announced that 8 people have applied for the birth aid, whose applications have been received through e-Government since April 18.
Minister Göktaş attended the introductory program of the “My First Teacher, My Family” mobile application organized at the Ministry with the participation of families and children.
In his speech here, Göktaş wished the mobile application, which acts as a digital guide for families, to be beneficial and stated that the application was designed to support parents from the moment they first hold their children in their arms.
Explaining that the “My First Teacher is My Family” mobile application has created content aimed at developing positive parenting skills of mothers and fathers, informing parents about child development and strengthening families, Göktaş drew attention to the fact that education begins in the family, not in school.
Minister Göktaş said, “Every parent is the first and most effective teacher of their child. On the other hand, having a child brings about great changes in the lives of couples and increases their responsibilities. Thoughts about parenthood and the meanings attributed to the child shape the parenting style. On the other hand, the awareness of the mother and father also ensures that the social, emotional and cognitive needs of the child are met correctly.”
Families will be able to ask questions to experts via the application.
Emphasizing that supporting the healthy development of children will form the basis of their knowledge, skills and values, Göktaş said, “Parents who understand their children’s needs well and make conscious decisions contribute not only to their own families but also to the peace and well-being of society. In this sense, initiatives targeting childhood are of critical importance in the formation of healthy societies. This fact led us to develop the ‘My First Teacher, My Family’ application.”
Minister Göktaş shared the following information about the services offered to families through the application:
“First of all, it offers mothers and fathers the opportunity to follow their children’s development. In addition, the application includes basic information about child development and suggestions to support positive parenting skills. Apart from digital, parents can access information and activity suggestions that are appropriate for the child’s developmental period and that they can do as a family. It offers informative content for expecting families on topics such as preparation for birth, daily life during pregnancy and psychological changes.”
Göktaş stated that a special section has been prepared not only for mothers but also for fathers, and said that families can convey their questions and problems about child development, adolescence and family issues to experts in an interactive way through the application and get answers.
Göktaş explained that the application also provides practical information on topics such as marriage, communication, conflict resolution and coping with stress, and said, “The First Teacher My Family mobile application provides easy access to information that will guide families. Thus, with this application, we offer families an educational platform that they can actively use, and we aim for our children to continue their lives as stronger and more conscious individuals.”
“18 applications were made for birth assistance”
In his speech, Minister Göktaş also announced the application figures for birth benefits, applications for which have been received through e-Government since April 8, so far.
Recalling that this year was declared the “Year of the Family”, Göktaş emphasized that the Vision Document and Action Plan for the Protection and Strengthening of the Family are the strongest road maps, and noted the following:
“In the 2025 Family Year, we are implementing many new policies and activities that strengthen and support the family. One of the most important of these works is the birth allowance, we have updated and improved the amount. As you know, last month, the bill that includes the birth allowance was accepted by our Gazi Assembly and became law. On April 8, we started to receive birth allowance applications via e-Government. Today, our Birth Allowance Regulation was published in the Official Gazette. As of today, 18 of our citizens have applied.
We will also receive applications for birth assistance through the 'My First Teacher, My Family' application. This interest is the clearest indication of the importance our nation places on family and the trust in the support provided by our state. In the Year of the Family, we will continue to conduct studies that touch individuals of all ages, from family communication to financial support, from child development to support for our elderly.”
“We work with an approach that puts the family at the very center of this process”
Göktaş, who stated that they are now much closer to families with the “My First Teacher, My Family” mobile application, said, “We have always believed that successful individuals of the future are raised in strong and healthy families. As our President also stated, ‘We will turn our ideal of a great and powerful Turkey into reality with a strong family and a strong population structure.’ With this belief, we continue to produce and implement policies that stand by families, accompany them in every moment and guide them.”
Pointing out that the first place a child gets to know the world is their family, Göktaş said, “With this digital guide, we aim to be the biggest supporter of our mothers and fathers.”
Expressing his belief that the application will contribute to establishing healthier communication within the family and strengthening parenting skills, Göktaş thanked Turkcell and Türk Telekom for supporting the free use of the application, as well as those who contributed to the study.
“The application is a guide in every sense”
Some families who downloaded and started using the “My First Teacher, My Family” mobile application also expressed their opinions about the application.
Mother Fahriye Kahraman said, “We registered our child, I can find information about his physical and psychological development one by one. The thing I like the most is that I can collect my child's memories in the memory book section. It guides in every way from nutrition to mental development. The fact that it can be accessed via e-Government and that it is the Ministry's application is also reassuring.”
Ümmü Gülsüm Cengiz said that she downloaded the application for her 2-year-old baby Kerem Alp Cengiz and that she used the program to follow her child's development.
Mother Cengiz said, “I can learn what to do with my child according to his/her age group. I downloaded it very easily from platforms where mobile applications can be downloaded. I logged in with my Turkish ID number. I recommend it to mothers, it is very nice that there is no advertising in it. It contains accurate and reliable information prepared by experts.”
