Senator’s
Wife and Philanthropist Meets With Dozens of Parents, Business and
Community Leaders to Discuss Ways to Improve Early Learning for Young
Children
Phoenix, AZ—Cindy McCain, businesswoman, philanthropist, member of the Leadership Council of
Too Small to Fail and
longtime early education advocate, will meet with dozens of parents,
community and business leaders today at the Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC)
Community Center to discuss how parents and caregivers can improve
their young children’s vocabulary using simple actions like talking,
reading and singing for at least 15 minutes every day. The event is
hosted by Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company
serving Hispanic America, and
Too Small to Fail, a joint
initiative between Next Generation and the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea
Clinton Foundation; this is part of a sustained effort to improve early
learning and prepare children to enter kindergarten across the country.
Parents
at today’s event will speak directly with Mrs. McCain and Univision
executive Roberto Llamas, EVP, Chief Human Resources & Community
Empowerment Officer, Univision Communications Inc., as well as several
local community leaders, about ways they can improve their children’s
early learning. While many parents agree on the importance of spending
quality time with their young children, only about half of those
interviewed in focus groups report reading, singing or doing other
activities with their young children daily to promote brain development
and vocabulary.
Research has shown that that children in
low-income families hear up to 30 million fewer words by age four than
their high-income counterparts. This is commonly referred to as the
"word gap.” But when parents and caregivers talk, read and sing to their
babies and toddlers every day, they help expand their children’s
language skills and significantly increase their chances for future
academic success.
This local event is one of dozens of community
events and special programming hosted by Univision during April, but is
part of a longer campaign called “Pequeños y Valiosos” (Young and
Valuable), launched earlier this year in partnership with
Too Small to Fail. The multi-year campaign is delivering expert research, commentary and information across Univision platforms.
“Parents
are our children’s first teachers,” said Mrs. McCain, “and they have a
great opportunity to make a real difference in their young children’s
lives. I am optimistic that Arizona’s families will embrace these
messages and help make sure our children are prepared to succeed in 21
st century America.”
“Univision
is proud to work with parents and children to help our Hispanic
community succeed and are committed to initiatives that provide them
access to the resources and information they need in this regard,” said
Llamas.
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