Celebrating 20 Years
Making a Difference for Children with Feeding Disorders and Differences
Our Beginning
Inspired by their newborn triplets' struggle to eat, Shannon and Bob Goldwater founded the Parent Organized Partnerships Supporting Infants and Children Learning to Eat (P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E.) Center in 2006 to support children with feeding disorders and build a strong, connected community for families.
Our Impact
Feeding Matters has accomplished a great deal since its inception as the P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center in 2006. Today, we unite the healthcare community with families to improve care for children with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), while continuously seeking innovative ways to advance the field of pediatric feeding.
Our Mission
Furthering advances in pediatric feeding disorder by accelerating identification, igniting research, and promoting collaborative care for children and families.
Over the past 20 years, Feeding Matters has:
- Supported more than 5,000 families through the Power of Two Parent Mentor Program
- Educated over 10,000 attendees through the International PFD Conference and Feeding + Eating Psychology Summit
- Engaged over 57,000 individuals through the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire©
- Provided vital resources that have been accessed over 2 million times by the feeding community
- United experts across the field to publish 2 consensus papers, leading the way for system-wide change driving real, measurable impact for the feeding community
Explore our key accomplishments and impact over time.
Timeline
- Bob and Shannon Goldwater established the P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center (Parent Organized Partnerships Supporting Infants and Children Learning to Eat) and provided the initial seed funding
- A Founding Medical Professional Council was created to guide medical initiatives
- Monthly parent support groups began, providing crucial community connections for families
- Four dedicated parent volunteers donated more than 2,700 hours of service
- Feeding experts convened for the first official meeting of the Founding Medical Professional Council, identified the need for a screening tool, and began work on what would become the flagship Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire©
- Focus expanded to national outreach, community advocacy and awareness, and the development of educational activities for parents and professionals
- A regularly convening Board of Directors was established
- Co-hosted the first Pediatric Feeding Disturbances Conference
- Launched the NICU Plush Project, bringing P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. plushes to NICUs to provide meaningful education about feeding struggles
- Launched a ten-month series of educational workshops for healthcare professionals and families
- Formed the Community Advisors Board
- The Medical Professional Council completed development of the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire©
- Offered the first educational webinar, focused on the importance of a team-based approach to caring for children with pediatric feeding disorder
- Won both the Investee and Mentor's Choice Awards at Social Venture Partners of Arizona's inaugural Fast Pitch event, securing grant funding to build organizational capacity
- Launched the first P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center website
- NICUs began using P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center educational videos
- Initial parent support groups evolved into the Power of Two Parent Mentor program, expanding capacity to help families worldwide receive the help and hope they needed
- P.O.P.S.I.C.L.E. Center became Feeding Matters, while maintaining the mission of creating a better world for children with feeding disorders
- Held the first annual Take Your Place at the Table Community Luncheon
- The Virtual Health Resource Platform launched on the new Feeding Matters website, providing worldwide access to the Provider Directory, video libraries, and other digital educational resources
- The 4th Pediatric Feeding Conference was held virtually for the first time, bringing together participants from ten countries across multiple disciplines
- Began work on the Pediatric Feeding Disorder Advocacy and Early Intervention Model (AIM), a framework to transform systems of care nationwide
- Held the first-ever consensus meeting in March, where internationally renowned feeding experts began defining the scope and diagnostic criteria for pediatric feeding disorder
- The pilot study of the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire© was published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (JPGN)
- Formed the Prevalence Committee to determine the prevalence of pediatric feeding disorder
- Pilot research showing that a subset of the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire© significantly distinguished feeding problems was published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
- Facilitated a consensus paper declaring pediatric feeding disorder a stand-alone diagnosis, presented at NASPGHAN, ASPEN, and Feeding Matters conferences
- Launched the three-year, multi-million-dollar Power of a Name campaign to drive awareness, acceptance, and lasting system change for pediatric feeding disorder
- Expanded the Medical Professional Council into the PFD Alliance, creating greater opportunities for diverse community representation
- The groundbreaking consensus paper declaring pediatric feeding disorder (PFD) the unifying name and stand-alone diagnosis was formally published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
- Launched the Family Assistance Program to support families facing financial hardship
- Facilitated Learning Advanced through Collaborative Initiatives (LACI), a professional development program for feeding therapists
- Published the Economic Impact Report identifying the financial burden of PFD on families
- Published a theory of change outlining how system-level efforts to establish PFD would drive progress across the field
- Celebrated the first PFD Awareness Month
- Expanded research on the Infant and Child Feeding Questionnaire© published in the Journal of Pediatrics
- Served as the catalyst to research showing that more than 1 in 37 children have PFD
- Launched the Family Guide resource
- ICD-10 diagnostic codes for pediatric feeding disorder became available in the U.S. on October 1
- Released the ICD-10 Toolkit to help providers implement the new codes
- Created the PFD and ARFID Infographic to clarify the relationship between diagnoses
- Launched the research initiatives taskforce to identify barriers and solutions for the field
- Created a Formula Shortage Resource Page during the national formula shortage crisis
- Joined the Patients and Providers for the Medical Nutrition Equity Act Coalition to advocate at the federal level
- Launched the PFD Alliance App (later evolving into the Feeding Matters Community App) to connect families, healthcare professionals, and community members
- Facilitated a consensus meeting on PFD and ARFID to support collaboration between fields
- Signed the first national contract from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award
- Hosted the inaugural Feeding and Eating Psychology Summit
- Co-authored the U.S.-Based Consensus on Diagnostic Overlap and Distinction for PFD and ARFID, published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders
- Launched the Family-Centered PFD Research Consortium (now the Person and Family Centered Feeding Research Consortium)
- Hosted an Insurance Think Tank in Arizona, convening providers and payors to address barriers to quality, affordable care
- Launched the Feeding Does Matter podcast
- Launched the It's Not Picky Eating campaign with an accompanying Instagram presence
- Launched the Family First Empowerment Cohort, a spring virtual program empowering parents with advocacy skills and peer support
- Debuted In My Own Way, a children's book following a child's feeding journey
- CEO Jaclyn Pederson and Dr. William Sharp co-authored a commentary calling for DSM-5 text revisions to improve diagnostic criteria
- PFD Awareness Month expanded to become PFD & ARFID Awareness Month
- Renamed the PFD Alliance to the Feeding Alliance to reflect a commitment to inclusivity and the full community of individuals, families, and professionals
Reflections on Our Impact
Feeding Matters is shifting the paradigm for all children with pediatric feeding disorders — no matter what state or country they live in.
Jacquie Dorrance and Ashley Dorrance Kaplan, Community Advisors
Pediatric feeding disorder has historically been severely underserved and misunderstood, leaving families desperate for answers when they can't feed their child(ren). To ensure these children receive the care they deserve, families, the healthcare community, policy makers, and academia must be part of the solution to create systemic change.
Dr. Praveen S. Goday, Consensus Paper Lead Author
We know our investments go further with Feeding Matters. It is the only organization nationwide collaborating with families, doctors, and the community to help children who can't eat.
Judy and Bill Schubert, Community Advisors
Having a Power of Two mentor gave me light at the end of the tunnel, just when I felt completely lost in the dark.
Cheyenne, Program Participant
Our journeys are not all the same, and take many different routes; however, the support Feeding Matters offers in many ways is priceless and can come only from those who don't have the typical feeding journey.
Renee, Volunteer Family Coach
I lived in fear of feeding time. I was desperate every single day to be able to give her the nutrition she needed. At Feeding Matters, I found solace to know that I wasn't alone. It wasn't just me, it wasn't my fault, and there were resources available.
Liz Goodman, PFD Parent
"What started as a dream in my living room in Scottsdale, AZ has grown into a worldwide collective of like-minded people, striving to create a world where children with PFD will thrive!"
Shannon Goldwater,
Feeding Matters Founder and Emeritus Board Member
