From Hillary Clinton at Too Small to Fail: A New Year's Message

Dear Friend,

As we prepare to bid farewell to this year, and welcome a new one, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the thousands of mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, neighbors and educators who have been following Too Small to Fail, and are helping to prepare America's children for success. Your love for your children, as well as your support for your families and communities, are so important to the well-being of our nation's youngest children and will help establish a positive trajectory for the most vulnerable among us.

By doing simple things like talking to your babies and toddlers every day, reading books, playing number games, singing songs and cuddling you are helping to close the word gap in America. Perhaps most importantly, you are establishing a strong bond with your children and a foundation for learning that will help prepare them for school and give them the skills they need to thrive as adults. 

Across the country people like you are taking this message to heart, and are not only taking action in their own families that will help their children, but also sharing this information with others in their community.

Here is just such an example. Daffodil Campbell, a mother of two from Hawaii, has decided to record herself reading books for her local cable access station to "help create a love of books, language, and learning" in her community. You can read more about Daffodil here.

Together, we can support parents as they try to give their kids the best possible start in school and life. We still have much work to do, and I expect that this effort will go on for a long time, but together we can turn the future of our country around and make sure that each child lives up to his or her God-given potential. And that is the best gift of all.

Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year, 

Hillary Rodham Clinton