When parents and caregivers talk,
read and sing to their young children every day, they help develop
important vocabulary as well as cognitive, social and emotional skills
necessary for later learning. Put simply, the more words children hear
spoken to them directly every day, the better they learn.
According
to recent field research conducted, a majority of low-income parents,
grandparents and other caregivers in Tulsa recognize that they
personally have an impact on their child’s brain development. Yet, many
of those surveyed admit that they could be doing more on a daily basis
to help their children increase their vocabulary:
- Only 55 percent of parents and 47 percent of grandparents report reading to their children every day.
- Fewer than half report telling their children a story, singing a song or playing a non-electronic game every day.
“Talking
is Teaching” will share with parents and caregivers how simple
actions—like describing objects seen during a walk or bus ride, singing
songs, or telling stories for just five minutes, three times a day—can
significantly improve a baby’s ability to learn new words and concepts.
“Through
my involvement with Educare,” said Rondalyn Abode, Tulsa Educare parent
and employee, “I was taught that I can be the very best teacher for my
children. It's good to have resources and support to help me do this.
The ‘Talking is Teaching’ campaign will help bring resources and support
to a broader audience, and it’s exciting that this is starting in
Tulsa."
In addition to creative messaging from the campaign that
will appear throughout the community, local partners and pediatricians
will disseminate messages directly to parents and caregivers using
family toolkits developed with Sesame Workshop; and to pediatricians
using clinical toolkits on early literacy developed by the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The campaign will also test new technology
developed by the Bezos Family Foundation to help remind parents to build
these activities into their daily lives.
Hillary Clinton