Charles Vincent (1876-1964) was one of the first founders of the "Goutte de Lait" society for the protection of young children. The Charles Vincent Family Centre is his legacy. It all began on 7 June 1904 with the creation of a protective society whose actions towards mothers and their children were based on the following Action Plans:
Monitoring, advising and assisting pregnant women
Providing relief in the form of milk, meat, flour, soap and linen to mothers in need who are breastfeeding their children
Advising and helping breastfeeding mothers in need
Looking after children from birth to two years of age
Dissemination of the principles of infant hygiene through brochures and conferences.
Providing the necessary instructions to women who are about to give birth
Monitor strict application of the February 1902 health law
Ensuring the application of the Roussel Law of 1874 on the protection of children
Carry out a comprehensive study of the issue of milk and dairies.
Looking after all children, regardless of nationality or religion, the "La goutte de lait" association looked after 218 children and 19 pregnant women. It provided assistance to needy mothers who were breast-feeding their children, and set up a section to distribute appropriate quantities of pasteurised milk to these women using special equipment invented by Charles Vincent himself. The quality of this milk was rigorously controlled, but it nevertheless conveyed the idea that nothing beats mother's milk.
On 2 November 1945, the French Maternal and Child Protection Agency was set up.
Since then, many changes have taken place, giving way to the name "Centre Familial Charles Vincent", an association recognised as an E.P.E. (school for parents and educators).
Today, we're still working towards the same goals. We're currently setting up projects with various partners to promote our ideas and the values we stand for !