Today, Hillary joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to launch a joint initiative between her
Too Small to Fail organization and
Univision to encourage the development of pre-literacy and literacy skills in the Latino 0 - 5 age group.
Too
Small To Fail, a joint initiative of the Clinton Foundation and Next
Generation, joins with Univision to launch Early Childhood Development
Program “Pequeños y Valiosos” (Young and Valuable)
New York —
On Tuesday, February 4, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Univision
Communications Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Randy Falco
will launch a partnership between Univision and Too Small to Fail, a joint initiative of Next Generation and the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation.
The
event will mark the beginning of a multi-year partnership with
Univision Communications Inc., the leading media company serving
Hispanic America, as part of the Company’s Univision Contigo (Univision
With You) empowerment efforts. Building upon Univision’s award-winning
education initiative and Too Small to Fail’s mission to help
parents and businesses take meaningful actions to improve the health and
well-being of children ages zero to five, the partnership, branded in
Spanish as “Pequeños y Valiosos,” will deliver expert research,
commentary and information across Univision platforms.
As indicated in Too Small to Fail’s strategic roadmap,
early health and learning directly impacts an individual’s long-term
productivity and success. The more parents speak with their children,
the faster their children’s vocabularies grow, laying the groundwork for
future academic success. “Pequeños y Valiosos” will direct its efforts
at Hispanic parents and other caregivers of children ages zero
to five, encouraging them to talk, read, and sing with their children in
order to develop their language and vocabulary skills.
“At
Univision we are proud to work with parents and children to help our
community succeed. We invest in initiatives and partnerships that
provide them access to the resources and information they need in this
regard,” said Randy Falco, president & CEO of Univision
Communications Inc. “As our education initiative marks its fourth
year, the partnership with Next Generation, the Clinton
Foundation, and many other education organizations, will help us amplify
our commitment by delivering the best information possible about early
childhood development to the Hispanic community.”
The partners also launched a new feature section on Univision’s website, www.univision.com/educacion, which offers factsheets, tips and special content for Spanish-speaking parents provided by Too Small to Fail’s
partner organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics,
First Book, the National Council of La Raza, the Public Broadcasting
Service (PBS), Sesame Workshop, and Zero to Three. Additionally, as part
of “Pequeños y Valiosos”, Univision Contigo, Too Small to Fail and
their partner organizations will make available thousands of books and
other informational materials to families across the country at special
events organized by Univision’s local affiliate stations, the first of
which is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, in Austin, Texas.
Univision
Contigo is inviting parents to take a pledge to dedicate uninterrupted
time every day to interacting with their children on its website, www.univisioncontigo.com. Barbara Bermudo, award-winning journalist and anchor for Univision’s award winning newsmagazine “Primer Impacto” (First Impact), will serve as a national spokesperson for the partnership.
“We’re
thrilled to be partnering with Univision to share the newest science
about early childhood with Hispanic families,” said Jim Steyer, board
chair and co-founder of Next Generation.
Patti Miller, director of Too Small to Fail
for the Clinton Foundation, added: “Hispanics represent the fastest
growing population in the United States, and the decisions parents and
caregivers make today will influence their children’s futures and the
future of our country for years to come.”
The partnership will
launch with a “roadblock” of special programming promoting early
learning across Univision Network's programs, including segments on
Hispanic America’s top morning show “Despierta América” (Wake Up America), the leading Spanish-language daily newsmagazine “Primer Impacto” (First Impact), on Univision’s nightly evening news “Noticiero Univision,”
as well as in local news across Univision affiliates and on Dr.
Isabel’s national radio program on Univision Radio’s AM network
Univision America. Following the launch, special programming focused on
early education and learning, as well as Univision Contigo public
service announcements featuring Univision personalities, will be
introduced across Univision’s networks and affiliate stations.
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Too Small to Fail Partners with Univision to Help Close Word Gap
On
Tuesday, February 4, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Univision
Communications Inc. President and CEO Randy Falco announced a
partnership between Univision and Too Small to Fail. The
announcement, which took place at a bilingual Head Start preschool
program in East Harlem, New York City, marks the beginning of a
multi-year partnership to help Hispanic parents and caregivers get
information about early brain development, early learning, and efforts
and strategies to close the word gap.
Research
shows that Hispanic children are much less likely to have a parent or
other family members read, sing, or tell stories to them every day. But
fewer words heard daily means fewer words in a child’s vocabulary, and
the partnership, titled “Pequeños y Valiosos” (Young and Valuable) will
encourage Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers to talk, read, and
sing with their children in order to develop their language and
vocabulary skills.
“It’s
important for parents to see themselves as teachers,” said Daniela,
mother of a three-year-old girl who attends the preschool, during a
roundtable discussion at the announcement event. “My daughter can speak
several languages because we have taught her. She learns from us first.”
Recent
focus groups among Spanish speaking parents have highlighted that many
are concerned about language fluency, in particular if their children
speak only Spanish. However, researchers agree that baby and young
toddlers need to hear many words every day—no matter the language—in
order to create important neural pathways in their brains that build
their emotional, social, and cognitive skills.
For
dual language learners (children who learn more than one language),
fluency in the home language can pave the way for learning English.
Babies and young children have a high capacity for language, and can
learn more than one language without any problems, even if there is a
short-term delay. In fact, new research shows that dual language
learners often score higher in memory, creativity, and problem-solving.
“Pequeños y Valiosos” will offer fact sheets, tips and special content for parents and caregivers on a new feature section of Univision’s website.
Learn more:
- For Spanish speakers: hablar dos idiomas no es un impedimento, de Univision.
- Frequently asked questions about dual language learning, from Zero to Three.
In The News:
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Video
Watch
Barbara Bermudo, award-winning Univision news anchor, talk about the
importance of talking, reading and singing to your children (in
Spanish).
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Hillary Clinton
